A Master Rises
by VinceGrey21
Summary: It's been 7 years since anyone has heard the name Ash Ketchum. After his loss in the Unova league everyone including his friends and family assumed that he ran off and gave up. Only Ash and Professor Oak know the truth, that he has been traveling on his own getting stronger so that he can become a champion. This is a tale of the man who won't be stopped til he has become a master!
1. 7 years and a phone call

**A Master Rises**

It's been 7 years since our hero has last competed in a league. As a matter of a fact it has been 7 years since all but few have seen him. Some say it was pride that drove him off, some say humiliation. But, since his loss at the age of 15 in Unova he has kept a low profile. Most would have been proud of their accomplishments at his age. He made it far in all of the tournaments, he even won the battle frontier but winning a league…..winning was what mattered to him. How was Ash ketchum going to become a pokemon master if he couldn't win one of the 5 region's. He wanted to be a champion but the only way to do that would be to get stronger. Ash always put travel first, friends first, a good philosophy but it wasn't enough he needed to do this on his own. So after his loss he made a phone call. A call to a certain famous professor that had done so much for him.

**Flash Back 7 years earlier:**

Ring… ring… ring….. "Hello, oh Ash! I watched the tournament, so close this time dude!" said a boy about 15 with jet black hair that parted down the middle and hung about shoulder length.

"What's up tracy it's been a while, I was wondering, is professor Oak around? I got to talk to him about something" Ash replied.

"Yeah, bro I'll go get him he's outside feeding the pokemon, and by the way man don't look so down you looked great out their you'll get em' next time." Ash grimaced at that remark, he'd been hearing it for the last two years. A handsome older man in his mid-fifties slowly made his way to the video phone.

"Ash my boy, it's great to hear from you, great job out there today I know you must be disappointed but you've really made a lot of progress. It's hard to believe that you're the same ten your old boy who could hardly control his Pikachu from thunder shocking everyone in the room" said Professor Oak enthusiastically.

Ash chuckled but got serious real fast "Is anyone else in the room professor I want to talk to you about something really important." Oak gave ash a concerned look and paused for a moment before answering "Nope, just me I sent Tracy outside to finish feeding the pokemon, what's wrong kid-o?" Ash thought hard about how he wanted to answer this question. "Well professor, it's just I feel like I need to try something different." Oak looked curious "You see I feel like I have been doing the same thing over and over again, traveling with friends, starting over in every region I travel to… only bringing Pikachu along" said ash with a somber attitude.

Oak didn't say anything for what seemed like forever until he answered abruptly "I think I know what you're getting at Ash and honestly I don't know if it's a good idea."

Ash was a little amused, how could professor Oak possibly know what he was planning. "And what exactly would that be Professor?" asked Ash curious to see what conclusion the professor had come to.

"Well it's quite obvious Ash, knowing you and your ambitions I'd say you are planning on going it alone. You probably have come up with the idea that you've been held back by all your friends and that in order for you to become a master you're going to have to go off on your own and travel the regions trying to catch every pokemon you come across. And the reason you have come to me is because you plan on not telling anyone that you are leaving. But…. you obviously can't go without talking to me because I have all your pokemon at the lab. Am I right?"

Ash shouldn't have been surprised the man has known him his entire life and not to mention he is kind of a genius when it comes to pokemon trainers and pokemon. "I should have known you'd figure it out Professor" ash stated really sarcastically. "So professor, why don't you think it's a good idea? I mean I feel like I have to do this I'm sick of losing and I want to be a master. I need to train my pokemon, and I need to catch more-"

"Ash" professor Oak interrupted "You don't need to explain yourself to me I understand. Have I ever told you that I gave Lance his very first pokemon when he was 10 years old just like I gave you yours."

Ash had a look of shock on his face "Lance, you mean THE Lance, like kanto champion Lance the one I met at lake rage a year ago?"

Professor oak had a proud smirk on his face as he answered "Yes ash, THE Lance now let me finish my story and don't interrupt me. Ok, now where to begin… so yes I gave Lance his very first pokemon, a charmander. Lance as a little guy always had an infatuation with dragon types so his obvious choice was a charmander. Well Lance and charmander set out on a journey throughout the Kanto league just like you did when you were just starting out. He made friends and was having a blast I'd hear from him whenever he'd make a stop at a city where he could get a hold of a video phone. He was having so much fun just like you were when you just started out, and when the time came and he had collected all eight badges he entered the pokemon league. A couple of my colleagues and I thought it would be a good idea to travel over to Indigo Plateau and cheer Lance on. Just like your mother and I traveled there to cheer yo-"

"Did he win! Is that when he became champion, did he win the league and then beat the elite four?" Interrupted ash enthusiastically he'd always been a huge fan of Lance, and he was getting really antsy hearing Professor Oak talk about him.

"Well, maybe if you wouldn't interrupt me like I told you not to do you'd find out" said professor Oak with a stern expression on his face. Ash decided he would shut-up and let the professor finish before he said anything again. "Ok, so where was I…. Oh yeah so we traveled to the Indigo Plateau to watch lance battle in the kanto league championship. Him and his charmeleon had grown a lot and made a lot of progress as trainer and pokemon. And also during his journey he had caught a dratini, dragonair and a horsea. Well to make a long story short he lost in the quarter finals to another trainer who's name I can't recall."

Ash couldn't believe this the champion Lance had lost in the pokemon league. Ash didn't even think Lance was capable of losing he had been champion for so long. "Lance Lost! Well what kind of story is that professor Oak."

Professor Oak smiled at ash and said "Well the story doesn't end there. Over the next couple years Lance and his friends traveled the other regions, but same as you ash he couldn't win a league. Lance was frustrated just like you are now after losing in the semi-finals of the hoenn league championship to Wallace (who eventually became hoenn league champion) and decided to give me a call just like you did. He had come up with the same exact proposal that you have given to me today."

Ash was shocked to find out that Lance had struggled just like he has he always pictured Lance as the perfect trainer. Never in a million years would he have guessed that Lance had lost so much when he was starting out.

"Can you guess what I told him Ash?" asked the professor.

Ash didn't need to think about it he thought he knew the answer "You told him no, right professor."

The professor started to laugh "Jeez Ash my boy give me more credit, I was young once. No I actually told him it was a great idea. And that every young trainer aspiring to be great needed to find his own way at some point."

Ash started to get angry, he was wondering why professor Oak didn't think it was a good idea for him to go off on his own. But he thought it was a great idea for Lance to go. "What the hell! If it was such a good idea to let Lance go on a journey by himself why isn't it a good idea for me to go?"

Professor Oak put a really serious look on his face and waited until Ash calmed down before answering him. "Ash, now listen to me and listen closely. I don't think it's a bad idea for you to go on a journey alone. You have a bright future ahead of you and just like Lance I think this is a step you're going to have to take. But I'm going to ask you this now and I want you to think carefully before you answer me. Are you sure you don't want to tell any of your friends that you're leaving and more importantly your mom?"

Ash had already made the decision that he wasn't going to tell any of them. He knew it wasn't fair to any of them that he would just leave without saying anything. He also knew that he would probably worry them to death and that his mom would probably think that something horrible happened to him. But, he couldn't risk any of them following him and even more importantly risk the fact that his mom might not let him go. This was his future not theirs and he was willing to do whatever it takes to win a league and become a master. "Yes, professor I'm sure" answered ash quietly.

Professor Oak gave a long sigh before answering ash. "Ok son, I understand. I'll play dumb and when your mom and friends come crawling to me asking for information about where you went I'll act like I don't know anything. But, listen up I want you to stop by the nearest pokecenter as soon as possible so I can send you the latest model of pokegear that we can keep in contact. I'm going to need to know that you're safe as well as be able to contact you about any pokemon transfers that were going to have to make. I also would like to know right now how long you plan on being away?"

Ash took sometime before answering professor Oak "Ok professor it's a deal I'll head over to the pokecenter as soon as I hang up with you. As for your question I have no idea I guess as long as it takes for me to be comfortable enough with my strength to know I can win one of the leagues."

Professor Oak didn't like Ash's answer about his journey he would have liked a solid time frame but it's about what he expected. "Ok ash, I'll let you go then, I'm going to put my pokegear number in the one I'm sending you so you can contact me as soon as you get it. And I expect you to contact me as soon as you get it do you understand me?"

Ash nodded and answered the professor sarcastically "Yes professor I understand."

Ash ended the video call and started making his way to the pokecenter from the telephone booth he was using. He had a giant grin on his face as he knew he was about to start a journey that would be unlike anything he has ever done before.

**To Be Continued…..**


	2. Homecoming

_**Author Notes**__: So the few people that have read the first chapter so far I'm sorry I've taken so long to get chapter 2 up. In case you were wondering what direction I'm going with this, I'm going to focus on the ash that comes back not ash on his journey. I'll often have flashbacks so youll have a good idea what happened but that's it._

_Here are the Ages of pretty much everyone. I know you're all wondering?_

_Ash: 22 Brock 25 Dawn 19 Cilan 24_

_Misty 22 May 20 Max 16 Iris 18_

**Present Day at the Ketchum House…**

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Max, Cilan, and Iris were all at the Ketchum residence. The group consisting of Ash's previous travel companions had made it a tradition to always spend Thanksgiving with Mrs. Ketchum.

"Delia (Mrs. Ketchum) has tried so hard since Ash disappeared." whispered Brock to Misty. "Oh I know, it really gets to me too. I mean think about it Brock it has been seven years. For all we know he could be dead."

Brock gave Misty a look that could scare off a Rhydon and then answered her in a whisper. "I don't ever want you to mention Ash and dead in the same sentence again."

Misty gave him a somber shrug and leaned back in her chair. Brock could tell she had tears in her eyes. "Sorry Brock….I know he's out there somewhere, I just don't know if I want him to be."

Brock didn't understand "What do you mean Misty? I thought you would be thrilled if he ever came back."

"You know Brock I'd say it was the two year mark when I really lost it. Before that I just assumed Ash was on another journey and was just being a sore loser about his loss in Unova. But, I think it was two years of him being completely out of our lives that I snapped."

"Snapped? I'm not really following you here Misty" replied Brock.

"Alright I'll just have to break it down for you then. Brock you know how I use to feel about Ash right?" asked Misty.

"Only that you were madly in love with him" Brock gave her gentle nudge with his elbow as laughed.

"Yeah I'm not afraid to say it now but he was the first person I ever fell in love with. Well when he had been gone for two years I started to panic. I became anti-social and super depressed. I even had to go to counseling just because that dumbass blockhead didn't tell anyone where he was going" explained Misty.

"Oh" replied Brock.

Misty was completely in tears now "And you want to know what the worst part about all of this is? I can't get over him, it's been seven years and I can't get over him. I mean who knows how much he must have changed by now. Dear god Brock none of us have seen him since he was 15 years old. He just turned 22 a week ago and we celebrated his birthday without him."

Brock replied "What are you getting at Misty?"

Misty couldn't believe how big of an idiot her friend was. Did she have to spell it out for him "I'm saying what if he isn't the Ash Ketchum we all know and love anymore!"

The room fell silent for about thirty seconds until someone spoke up "Don't worry Misty he'll be back someday and when that day comes he may look different, but he'll be the same Ashy that you grew up with I just know he will." Said Mrs. Ketchum, with a smile on her face.

As Delia finished talking there was a knock on their door. "Now who could that be, are we expecting anyone else?" Little did they know that their day was about to get a lot more interesting

**5 minutes earlier**

"Were almost home Pikachu! Aren't you excited for mom's cooking?" The man and his best friend Pikachu sat on the back of a large green dragon pokemon with orange wings as it made a soaring decent towards his house.

Once they landed Ash hopped off the dragon pokemon and pet it alongside its neck. "Good job Salamence, thanks for the ride." Most Salamence are blue with red wings, but this trainer has a special one that he found flying around Mt. Silver a couple years ago when he was training in the Jhoto region.

Ash recalled Salamence to its pokeball and clipped the red and white sphere to his belt. The trainer had long black hair that hung down to about the base of his neck. He wore a black cap over it with a masterball logo on it. He wore a stylish grey hoodie as well as black designer jeans that fit normal on him. The trainer had black and white vans on his feet and had an average sized black and white back pack hanging from his right shoulder.

The trainer Ash slowly made his way up the road with the house he grew up in in sight. As he approached the door a tons of worried thoughts ran through his head.

_What the hell am I going to say to my mom._

_She probably thinks I'm dead._

_She's going to be so mad at me maybe this isn't such a good idea._

_Oh my god I am so hungry._

_Whatever I guess I can't avoid this forever._

_I would rather be battling one of the champions than face my mom right now._

Right when he was about to knock on the door he noticed a few cars parked on the side of the road.

"Hmmm I wonder who else is here?" "Chu pika pika" answered the small yellow pokemon.

Ash grabbed Pikachu off his head and gave a gentle smile to the electric pokemon. "Look Pikachu I know you're not going to like this but would you mind going in your pokeball for a little bit, just until I break the news to mom."

Pikachu looked up at his master in disgust pika pi, chu chu!"

Sometimes Ash had trouble understanding Pikachu but he knew exactly what his best friend was saying right now. Something along the lines of no way am I getting in that small little death trap.

Ash gave Pikachu a stern look and said "Pikachu don't make this harder than it already is, if mom sees you she's going to know who I am right away. And just in case there is anybody else in the house that I know, I don't want to get trampled the second I walk in the door."

Pikachu gave a sigh and nodded in agreement. Ash pulled out Pikachu's pokeball which had a small little lightning bolt on it and pressed the button between where the white and red halves met. Ash then watched as a stream of red light engulfed Pikachu making him disappear into the ball in his hand.

Ash looked down at the pokeball and whispered "Don't worry buddy I'll get you out of there as soon as I can."

Ash knocked on the door. Wondering what was in store for him on the other side.

Delia slowly opened the door to find a handsome man standing about 6'2 with brown eyes and black hair standing in front of her.

"Excuse me sir can I help you?" She asked having no idea that the man standing in front of her was her missing son.

Ash couldn't believe his mother didn't recognize him _Jeez have I changed that much. _Ash decided to take a quick look inside to find all of his old friends hanging out around the house.

The first people he noticed were Brock and Misty sitting on the couch whispering to each other Brock looked about the same just taller and a little bit older in the face. But Misty he couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She had grown in all the right places and she was wearing a turquoise tank top with blue jean shorts. Her hair hung to about the middle of her back and she was wearing it down which Ash always thought was a great look for her. Her eyes were what caught his attention though those beautiful aqua green eyes that just the thought of during his seven years away got him through the tough days.

Taking his attention away from Brock and Misty he noticed an older Cilan and Iris cooking something in the kitchen and an older May, Max and Dawn setting up the dining room table. Ash was surprised by how beautiful May and Dawn had turned out to be as well. But what really surprised him was Max. _Holy crap, Max must be about the same age I was when I left. I wonder if he has any pokemon with him. Everyone looks so much different. But, at least there all together right now that makes things a lot easier._

Mrs. Ketchum was a little bit irritated some man she didn't know had just been standing in front of her gazing inside her house. "Um, excuse me do you need something or do you just enjoy knocking on doors and ignoring whoever answers."

Ash looked at his Mom and gave a huge smile "Do you mind if I come in Mo…. um I mean Mrs. Ketchum."

Ash figured if his own mother didn't recognize him none of them would so he figured it would be best if he told them who he was all at once.

Mrs. Ketchum felt a little bit weird about letting some stranger into her house but .._I don't know who this man is but he seems kind of familiar maybe he's one of Ash's old friends. _"Sure come on in" said Mrs. Ketchum a little skeptical about her decision.

Misty and Brock were now watching the door as some man walked into the house. Brock turned to Misty to notice a look of shock on her face her eyes were huge and her mouth was wide open. "Misty, who is that guy do you know him?"

As soon as Brock finished his question Misty got up in a deadbolt sprint and tackled the man to the floor. Everyone in the house was wide eyed and thinking to themselves.

Brock_: What has gotten into her?_

Max:_ What the hell?_

Cilan: _It couldn't be?_

Iris: _What is going on?_

May: _Does Misty know him?_

Dawn: _Oh My God is that Ash._

Ash was on the ground staring up into the eyes of Misty, the eyes that he had missed more than anything in the world.

"Hey Misty, long time no see. Shit..you sure look beautiful."

Misty blushed. She couldn't believe what she was seeing right now Ash Ketchum the boy she had given up on. Was now barely recognizable, a handsome man, and had finally come home.

All the feelings that she had kept bottled up for the last 7 years had started to resurface in her mind. She didn't know whether to be thrilled or pissed. Her reaction told it all though.

Dawn and Cilan had a good idea what was going on. But, everyone else just looked dumfounded and confused.

"Misty, what has gotten over you attacking guests like that, get off this poor man before you hurt him"! screamed Mrs. Ketchum.

Misty ignored Mrs. Ketchum and started to get red in the face. She gave the man on the ground a strong punch in the gut.

Ash coughed a few times and his eyes looked like they were going to come right out. He gained his composure quickly and grunted "Yeah, I probably deserve that don't I Mist."

Misty started to sob and started wailing at the man's chest "You asshole! … I can't believe you.. Seven years and you walk in this house…. Do you have any idea how much we missed you..I missed you?! I thought you were never coming back! I thought you were freaking dead!"

Misty rolled off of Ash and landed on her back she was out of control crying.

The light bulb finally clicked in everyones head. But, other than Misty the room was silent. Nobody seemed to know what to say.

Brock: _I can't believe it is that guy Ash.. Now that a take a better look of course its Ash._

Max: _No way he's back after all this time._

Cilan: _I knew it. what a delicious flavor. At last our friend has returned._

Iris: _Ash!_

May: _Ash is finally back. I can't believe it. Wow, look how handsome he is._

Dawn: _I knew it but I still don't believe it._

Delia looked at her son and tears slowly started to fall. "Ash, is that you?"

Ash took his eyes away from Misty and looked up at his Mom. "Hi Mom, I missed you, how have things.."

Ash couldn't finish his sentence before his mom had given him the biggest hug he had ever gotten in his entire life. "Mom…can't…breathe."

Delia was so happy she couldn't even tell that her son couldn't breathe. Brock had a huge grin on his face and poked Delia on her shoulder. Delia looked up at Brock with a scowl on her face thinking which one of you is trying to ruin this moment with my son. "Excuse me Mrs. Ketchum, I'm not trying to ruin the moment or anything but I think you're killing him."

Delia looked at her son and saw that he was blue in the face and gasping for air. She let go of the hug as Ash got his senses together. Then hugged him again repeating the process a few times. She overwhelmed him with a barrage of kisses before she decided that she would give him a chance to speak.

Ash stood up slowly gathering himself and looked around the room at his mom and friends who all seemed thrilled to see him except for Misty who was still lying on her back in hysterics.

Ash thought to himself _Well this is going to be interesting. _As he knew he was about to undergo a fierce interrogation about where he had been for the last seven years.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Questions and Answers

**Author Notes: **_Hey guys Vince here, I want to let you know that my estimated average on how often I want to get a chapter to you guys will be every other day. I also have a few questions for you in where you might want the story to go. So originally on the romance side of the story I was going to go with Misty. As of now that is where I'm thinking about going with it but I was wondering would you rather have me match Ash with possibly Cynthia? Those are the two I've been considering. Leave reviews if you have anything you'd like to say I will take your comments into consideration._

"I know you guys probably have about a thousand questions you would like to ask me right now, but I've had a long day of traveling so I'll answer one question from each of you" exclaimed Ash.

Everyone in the house thought that was a little bit unfair, I mean they hadn't seen Ash in years how could they limit their questions to one each. Brock was the first person to say something. "Guys, he has a good point. It's great to see Ash and everything but he's got to be tired we should be thankful with one question for now."

Ash gave Brock a thankful nod. "Ok so whenever you guys are ready shoot away, but remember for now you have one question so make the most of it."

The first question came from Iris "Well Ash my question is where is Pikachu?"

Ash gave a puzzled look at Iris and then his eyes just about popped out of his head. "That is a very good question Iris, Pikachu is currently inside of his pokeball."

Everybody in the house gasped, "Since when has Pikachu started traveling in his pokeball Ash? And that is not my question so don't even try." Stated May.

Ash gave May a dirty look "Well May if I must answer he hasn't. I just put him in his pokeball right before I walked in the door."

"And why exactly would you do something like that?" asked Dawn

"The reason behind Pikachu currently being inside his pokeball is because I didn't want to risk everyone noticing me the second I walked in the door." Nobody really seemed to understand what he meant. "Well I didn't know who was inside the house. I saw some cars out front and figured that if you saw Pikachu you would know it was me right away and I would probably get trampled the second I walked in the door." That answer seemed to satisfy everyone, "I guess there is no reason for him to be in it anymore though."

Ash unclipped a red and white sphere from his belt and tossed it in the air. A flash of bright red caught there eyes and a small yellow rodent pokemon appeared in front of them. "Pika!" Pikachu quickly make his rounds greeting everyone in the room. Everyone in the room with smiles on their face greeted Pikachu as well while the small electric type made his way back to Ash. He then leaped to his usually resting spot on top of Ash's head.

All of a sudden everyone in the room seemed to relax. Seeing Pikachu resting on top of Ash's head brought back so many great memories.

The silent admiration came to a halt when Misty opened her mouth. Still in tears and choking up while she spoke Misty asked "Why did you leave, and why didn't you tell anyone?"

This was a question that Ash had spent plenty of time coming up with an answer to while he was away so he had no problem answering it. "I'm glad you asked that Misty it will probably be very beneficial for me to answer that one right off the bat. Well to answer the first part of your question I left because it was the best thing for me at the time. I needed to get stronger as a trainer. Professor Oak and I agreed that the best thing for me to do would be to go on a journey by myself. That way there would be no distractions and the only relationships that I could rely on were the ones I share with my pokemon."

May started to get angry. "Is that what we were to you Ash, distractions?!'

Ash gave May a very gentle look a look that an older brother would give to a younger sister if he was trying to make her feel better. "Not at all May, you guys weren't distractions it was great traveling with all of you. Those days were some of the best days of my life. I just needed to do this. It was the only way."

May tried to stay angry at him but she couldn't _It's impossible to stay mad at Ash. _"I understand."

Delia suddenly looked like she had just had some kind of revelation her eyes got big and her face narrowed. "You mean to tell me that all this time Samuel knew where you were?"

Ash started to sweat a little _I can't believe I let that slip out of my mouth, I wasn't supposed to tell them that. Professor Oak is going to be pissed._

"Mom don't freak out, he told me not to say anything….I mean I told him not to say anything.._Crap this isn't good she's going to kill him…_The only reason I told professor Oak was because I needed to transfer pokemon to and from the lab don't be mad at him." Pleaded Ash.

Everyone in the room started to laugh except for Delia who still looked extremely upset.

Delia:_ That twisted old man. How many times over the past seven years have I gone to his lab and asked him if he has heard anything about Ash. Now I find out that my son and him have been in contact the whole time. I swear after Ash is done answering questions I'm going to force a few answers from him. He is going to regret the day that he ever lied to Delia Ketchum._

Ash was laughing with the rest of his friends until he noticed his mom who looked like she was planning some sort of way to put Professor Oak in a grave without anyone finding out. _Poor Professor Oak if there is one thing that will never change it is moms wrath. As soon as were done talking I should give him a heads up._

The laughter was broken by Misty who seemed to be in a little better mood. "Ash you never answered the second part of my question."

Ash gave her a smile and said "and… the reason I didn't tell anyone I was leaving was because I didn't want anyone to follow me or try to stop me."

No body commented they all understood that he was probably right. A 15 year old traveling to who knows where by himself is ludacris. Ash had always had friends travel with him when he was younger, most of his friends didn't think he could last a day by himself.

"Who's next?" Stated Ash ready to get along with the Q and A.

Brock was the next one to speak up. "Where did you go?"

Ash had a little bit more trouble answering this one because of all the different exotic places he had been. "To make things simple I have been just about everywhere. Right after I left the tournament I back tracked through Unova for about five months and stopped in all the cities that Cilan, Iris and I didn't go to. I then purchased a plane ticket to the Johto region where I traveled there for about six months catching pokemon. I took a training break at the peak of Mt. Silver where there is a little village with a pokemon center that I could transfer pokemon back and forth from Professor Oak's laboratory. I think I spent about a year and a half on the peak of Mt. Silver training. When I started to get bored of being in the same spot for so long I took a ship to the Hoenn region. I spent most of my time training in Sootopolis with Juan, while doing some research about some of the different pokemon that make home around the area. I'd say between Sootopolis and traveling catching new pokemon I spent a total of two years in Hoenn. When I got bored of Hoenn I said goodbye to Juan and made my way back over to the Sinnoh region. I spent most of my time in Sinnoh catching new pokemon and training them. I was only in Sinnoh for about 7 months when I got a call from the Air Battle Master saying that Gliscor had learned everything he was going to training with him. So on my way to go pick up Gliscor I came up with this brilliant idea that the next thing I was going to do was travel around gathering all of the pokemon I had let train with other people. I had already reunited with several of the pokemon I had released into the wild. While I was in Jhoto I ran into Larvitar who had evolved into Pupitar. I didn't recognize him at first but after talking with him I soon realized that it was the same little guy from all those years ago. He decided that it would be a lot of fun if he came along with me so he joined the team. I also came across Lapras who was traveling with the rest of her family across the coast of Olivine city. Lapras decided that she wanted to travel with me again so she said goodbye to her family and joined me."

Everyone was speechless.

Misty: _And this is the short version. It would take him days to explain all the gritty details."_

"So after I picked up Gliscor I traveled back to Jhoto to see if an old friend wanted to come with me again. At the Charific Valley I came across Charizard who had gotten a lot stronger. Charizard who as you all know has always been focused on getting stronger was a little bit skeptical about coming back with me. He wasn't quite sure if the training I had to offer could take the place of the training he was getting with his fellow kin. So we made a little wager if one of my pokemon could beat him in a pokemon battle he would come with me. Long story short one of my pokemon mopped the floor with him so he decided that he better come along so he wouldn't fall behind. Ever since than the two have been rivals and Charizard's strength has quadrupled since he came with me. The next thing I wanted to do was track down squirtle so I traveled around the cities of Jhoto looking for him. I got a tip from a traveling trainer that told me that the squirtle squad had moved back to vermilion city in the Kanto region. So I hopped on another ship and made my way back to Kanto. I'd say the time lapse between when I picked up Gliscor and finally reunited with squirtle who had evolved in to wartortle was about 3 months. After Wartortle happily agreed that he was done firefighting and wanted to compete in battles again, I came across Steven the ex-champion who was eating at the same diner Pikachu and I were getting a bite to eat at. Steven told me that he was going to make a trip to the Orange Islands to do some research on some rare steel type pokemon that had started to migrate over there. I figured what the hell and decided to join him. While in the Orange islands one thing led to another and I talked Steven into helping me train. We spent about a year in the Orange Islands training and catching some unique pokemon. After I learned everything there was to learn from Steven I decided that it was time to return to Kanto. I arrived in Kanto about 9 months ago, during the past 9 months I have been for the most part catching new pokemon and training them. About two weeks ago I got a call from an old friend, who had tracked down my number through Steven. This friend told me about a very interesting competition that I just couldn't turn down so I decided that it was finally time to come home so I could rest until the competition….And that's a condensed version of where I've been."

Delia as well as the rest of Ash's friends were shocked. They couldn't believe all of the different things Ash had done over the past 7 years. They were also beginning to become very curious to how strong his pokemon had gotten and which new ones he had caught.

Max decided that now that Ash was done telling his story he would ask the question that everyone wanted to know. "What new pokemon have you caught Ash?"

Ash knew that the topic was going to come up eventually but he had decided on his way home that he best not answer that, at least not yet. "That's a good question Max, you're just going to have to find out for yourselves when you watch me compete."

Max was a little bit irritated by Ash's answer. He was just dying to find out what Ash had accomplished while he was away.

May started wondering to herself why no one was asking about this mysterious competition that Ash was talking about. "Ash, I guess my question is what is this competition that you are talking about?"

Ash wasn't surprised that she hadn't heard of it as a matter of a fact nobody in the room probably knew what he was a talking about. Mr. Goodshow wasn't going to announce the tournament to the public until they had chosen all of the competitors so it made a lot of sense that they wouldn't know yet.

"Well May I'm not surprised you don't know about it yet. The pokemon league hasn't released any information about the competition to the public yet. But, in about 4 months there is going to be a competition called the tournament of Masters at the Indigo Plateau" Said Ash with a playful smirk on his face.

Everyone in the room fell silent as they all wanted to find out everything there was to know about this mysterious tournament.

Ash continued.."The tournament of Masters is a competition that will decide who the best pokemon trainer in the world is and whoever wins will be given the title as Master Champion. The competitors are chosen through invitation and the only way to qualify is to have won 8 badges in all five regions. All of the Elite four and Champions automatically qualify for the main tournament at the Indigo Plateau, which is the top 32 competitors and every single one of them has already chosen to compete. There is going to be a preliminary round held 2 months from today in Ever Grande City to decide which other 7 trainers are good enough to make it into the top 32 or main tournament."

Everyone was starting to get excited now. This tournament sounded awesome. The best of the best were going to compete to find out which one of them is actually the best. But, as their excitement grew they started to wonder if Ash was ready for this.

Brock:_ This tournament sounds intense. I wonder if Ash is ready to be taking on such high level trainers._

Max: _This is going to be so sweet, I hope Ash has been training as hard as he says he has._

May: _Does he really stand a chance in tournament in which all 5 champions are competing._

Iris: _Ash is screwed if he battles Lance._

Cilan: _What an interesting Flavor, Ash better be ready._

Dawn: _Wallace in the same tournament as Ash. Does he even stand a chance?_

Misty: _He better win. Because if he doesn't we may never see him again._

Delia: _I don't know what it is. But, something about Ash is different. For some reason I can't see him losing._

The silence was broken by Dawn… "So what do you plan on doing until the preliminaries Ash? and that is my question I'm sure you are getting sick of talking?"

Ash answered quickly like he already knew Dawn was going to ask that question. "I plan on catching up with you guys, and finishing up the last of my training to get my team ready."

That was an answer everyone wanted to here they were all afraid that Ash was going to run off as soon as he got home.

"Honey, do you plan on staying home for the next 2 months?" Asked Delia.

Ash looked at his mom and then at his friends and said "I've been gone for a long time and I know you guys have been worried sick about me. It's about time I slowed down and spent some time at home, so yes mom I'm not going anywhere until the preliminaries start."

Everyone jumped up from their seats and sprinted over to Ash. They took turns giving him hugs and each one officially welcomed him back.

"So Cilan did you have a question for me?" asked Ash when it was Cilan's turn to welcome him back.

Cilan thought about it for a second and decided that his friend was probably overwhelmed as it is and decided to let him off for now. "Well Ash it seems like you could use some rest, and you've answered enough questions for now. But I'm going to call my brothers at the gym and tell them that I'm going to be gone for a while so during the next 5 months or so there will be some questions."

Ash laughed at Cilan's comment and told him that he looked forward to the conversations they would be having as soon as he finished laughing he noticed that everyone in the house except for him was clumped together in a group discussing something.

After about five minutes of this going on Misty branched off from the huddle, she looked at Ash and then at the rest of the group before opening her mouth to speak. "Ash we've all decided that were staying with you until the end of the Tournament of Masters which means were going to be staying in Pallet for the next two months, then traveling with you when you leave."

Ash was a little bit taken back by this "That sounds great, but I have to ask where are you guys all going to stay?"

Misty answered in an agitated tone. "Well blockhead your mother said that Dawn and I can stay in the guest bedroom and Brock can crash on the couch in the living room."

Ash was fine with that but was wondering where everyone else was going to stay.

Mrs. Ketchum suddenly took over for Misty with somewhat of an evil grin on her face. "Cilan, Iris, May and Max Will be staying in the guest bedrooms at Professor Oaks laboratory it is the least he can do for us after lying about knowing where you were for the last seven years. I'm sure he won't have a problem with it."

Ash looked at his mother and gave a fake smile. _Professor Oak better not say no to my mom or I'm afraid I'm going to have to find someone else to look after my pokemon. _

**To Be Continued….**

**So what did you guys think? Let me know what you thought about the chapter in the reviews section. I'll probably be done with chapter 4 and have it posted by Monday at the latest. Next Chapter we find out what kind of pokemon Ash has in his arsenal with a trip to professor Oaks laboratory…. We also find out how professor oak kept Ash's new pokemon a secret from his visitors in ****Pokemon Lab:The Zero Room**


	4. The Zero Room

**Author Notes:**_I felt like this chapter would be a good chapter to start unveiling some of Ash's Pokemon. I'm not going to show you all of them and I'm for sure not going to show you all of the Pokemon that he currently has on him. During this chapter you'll start to create a good idea in your head how good Ash has gotten these past 7 years. I believe that this is going to end up being a long fanfiction so I want to hold onto as much surprise as possible for later on in the story. I don't want to throw it all out there at once if I do that you'll most likely get bored later on. _

**Two days later at the Ketchum Residence….**

After a couple of days of rest Ash thought that it would be a good idea for him to make a trip over to the pokemon lab to visit his pokemon. Pikachu was taking a nap so Ash decided that he would let Pikachu sleep while he was gone.

He put on a pair of black sweats as well as his hoodie and made his way down stairs. His shoes were placed right next to the front door. While bending down to put on his vans he felt a shot of pain in his back.

Ash quickly turned around to track down whatever was causing the pain. He was surprised to find that Brock and Cilan were standing under the archway of the door both holding what seemed to be groceries.

"Sorry Ash are you hurt? I didn't see you there" asked a concerned Brock.

Ash stood up while rubbing his back "No Brock I'm fine. The door just caught me a little off guard."

Cilan laughed. "Doors will do that, especially if you tie your shoes right in front of them.

The group laughed for a minute about Ash being an idot. Until Ash decided that he should probably help Cilan carry one of the grocery bags to the kitchen. After Ash took the bag from Cilans hand the three friends made their way into Delia's famous kitchen.

As soon as they were done putting the groceries away Brock asked "Hey Ash why were you putting your shoes on are you planning on going somewhere?"

Ash filled his friends in on the fact that he wanted to visit some of his pokemon at the lab. They decided that it would be interesting to tag along and see how strong Ash's pokemon had gotten. As well as see some of the new ones he caught.

Ash followed by Brock and Cilan walked out the door and made their way down the path to Professor Oaks lab. The lab was only about 100 yards south of Ash's house so the three didn't get much exercise out of it.

The laboratory was a large dome shaped building built out of a series of auburn colored bricks. About 200 yards west of the Laboratory The trio noticed a giant mound of dirt that must have stood about 40 feet high and spread and spread about 100 yards around.

_I wonder what all that dirt is from….._Ash thought to himself.

As they approached the front door to the lab Ash could hear screaming from inside. His first thought was _Oh my God she's doing it…mom is actually killing professor Oak._

Ash reacted on his instinct and with a powerful kick broke down the door. He sprinted inside the hall with his hands above his head screaming "Mom, don't do it you can't kill prof…..eh!"

Ash felt immediate embarrassment as he witnessed the scene in front of him _Muk! But I just…_

Brock and Cilan immediately dropped down to the ground with laughter. Ash couldn't stand the fact that he was getting laughed at but that wasn't that big of a deal. What was a big deal was the fact that he had a pissed off Professor Oak who was practically steaming out of his ears.

Professor Oak's head was the only part him showing while the rest was swallowed up inside of Muk's grimy body of sludge. But, Ash didn't need to see professor Oak's body to tell that the man was furious.

"Ash Ketchum what in God's name do you think you're doing! First you might has well have written my name down on the hit list of a deadly assassin, because slipping to your mother that I have known where you have been is much worse! Then you assume I am being killed by your mother and you kick down my door before even checking if it is unlocked! what are you thinking!" screamed the Professor at the top of his lungs.

Ash was completely embarrassed but decided to play it cool. He started to scratch the back of his head while apologizing to professor Oak.

The professor seemed to calm down a little bit and let out a sigh "Oh Ash why is it so hard to stay mad a…"

As Professor Oak was finishing his sentence Muk seemed to finally realize that Ash was in the room. It left the professor alone and started to make its way toward its master while leaving a trail of slime on anything it touched.

Ash greeted the Muk he had caught in that abandoned power plant when he was ten years old with only words. Ash didn't want to touch Muk because he had recently taken a shower and didn't want to smell like crap for the rest of the day.

"Ash when did you teach Muk not to touch you? Asked Brock, he was curious because in all Brocks previous encounters with Muk it had always managed to give Ash a slime hug.

Ash turned to Brock and laughed "While Muk and I were training on the peak of Mt. Silver I decided to break the news to him that I didn't like Slime hugs."

While Brock and Ash were laughing Professor Oak grabbed Muks pokeball and pressed the middle button. A beam of red shot out of the ball returning Muk into the red and white sphere. "Well Ash, maybe you should teach Muk that I don't like slime hug's either" Pouted the professor.

Ash couldn't help but smile "Of course Professor I will let him know as soon as we see the rest of my pokemon."

"Of course Ash…..little patients as always" Complained Oak. The four made their way down the hall while Professor Oak and Ash engaged in small talk regarding Ash's pokemon, journey, and mother."

When they reached the end of the hall they came upon a staircase that only went down.

Before Professor Oak could take a step down Ash asked "Professor where are we going shouldn't we be going out back into the fields to see my pokemon."

Professor Oak showed his smile for the first time since they had arrived at the lab and said "Didn't you guys wonder where that giant mound of dirt outside came from, well if you follow me you'll have your answer."

Ash, Cilan, and Brock followed the professor down what seemed to be about 100 flights of stairs until they were faced with a door that was about 10 times bigger than a snorlax.

The three men stared at the door in admiration while thinking to themselves.

Cilan: _What could possibly be behind such a massive door._

Brock: _What could have caused the Professor to do all this remodeling._

Ash: _First I get hit in the back by a door. Then I kick down a door. And now I come across the biggest door I have ever seen. What the hell is wrong with today._

The professor walked over to a panel that was hooked up to the wall on the right of the door. On the panel was an electronic computer keyboard as well as what looked to Ash like some sort of eye scanner.

Professor Oak typed in what must have been a password then placed his hand on the scanner while it checked his handprint.

Ash:_ That would have been badass if it was an eye scanner, but I guess a handprint scanner is pretty cool._

Just as soon as professor Oak's hand finished scanning the oversized door slowly opened. What was on the other side put a look of absolute astonishment on all three of the pokemon trainers faces.

Brock and Cilan both looked at each other and asked Professor Oak the first thing that came to their mind. "What is this place professor?"

Professor Oak couldn't help but smile at Brock and Cilan. "We call it the zero room."

Ash thought to himself in awe. _So this must be where he has been keeping all of my pokemon. I was wondering how they were going to be comfortable in that old field. This also makes sense to how he was able to keep all of my progress a secret._

What they were looking at was a room, if you could even call it that. The room stretched out to what Ash estimated to be about 600 yards wide and 600 yards long. The roof was so high up that you could barely tell their even was one, it also gave off some sort of digital image that made it appear to look like they were outside. If Ash didn't know better he would have been fooled himself.

Throughout the humongous room there were several beautifully constructed artificial environments. There was a forest, cave, marsh, lake, pretty much any environment you could think of was somehow in this room. But, what made it so breathtaking was the pokemon that lived there. Brock and Cilan couldn't believe it they were standing in what to them seemed like a pokemon paradise. There must have been over a hundred pokemon visible to them the second they walked through the door.

"Professor Oak how many pokemon live here?" asked Cilan with his mouth still hanging wide open in amazement.

The professor smirked and said "about 600 pokemon live in this room. When the fields outside were getting a little bit too crowded and the pokemon started to wander too far for Tracy and I to take care of them. I decided to have this place built."

"600 pokemon that's amazing professor Oak!" exclaimed Brock

Professor Oak scratched the back of his head and winked at Ash "What's amazing Brock is that 130 of these pokemon belong to Ash."

Both of Ash's friends looked at Ash with the most dumbfounded expressions. They were speechless.

Ash sighed and gave them an awkward smile that had you guys are embarrassing me written all over it. "Well what did you guys think I was doing these past 7 years walking around with my thumb up my ass."

Ash unclipped a pokeball from his belt and tossed it into the air. Emerging from the bright light that escaped from the pokeball was Ash's shiny Salamence.

"Ash you have a Salamence? it must be a powerhouse, unbelievable!" declared Brock who was now getting really excited.

"Amazing and it's not a normal Salamence either it's green with orange wings rather than blue with red wings. What a unique flavor" spoke Cilan.

Ash introduced his Salamence to his friends while petting it across its neck. The Green and Orange dragon pokemon nodded its head towards Brock and Cilan acknowledging its masters friends.

Salamence then faced its master curious to why it was called. Ash looked into Salamence's eyes then asked. "Salamence could you do me a huge favor?" The Dragon pokemon flapped its wings and puffed a cloud of smoke through its tiny nostrels.

Cilan and Brock took a few steps back a little bit intimidated by the pokemons movements.

Ash wasn't worried at all though knowing that this was just Salamence's way of saying yes. "Salamence I would like you gather all of our friends that you believe are ready to battle in the tournament."

Salamence made a loud grunt noise and took off soaring towards the different constructed environments. They lost sight of Salamence as it started to descend somewhere around the forest area in the distance.

"Ash are you sure it was a good idea for you to let Salamence pick who battles in the tournament with you?" asked Brock.

Ash turned to face Brock and said "Of course it's a good idea, Salamence is a great judge of strength, loyalty, and will power. Whoever he comes back with will be more than ready for this tournament."

"So what do we do now that Salamence is doing all your dirty work?" Asked Cilan.

"Well Cilan now we wait." said Ash in a confident tone.

After about 30 minutes of waiting Professor Oak spotted something in the distance it looked like a giant cloud of dust. While above it there were multiple pokemon flying towards them. "Here they come." The professor stated.

"How many are there? Brock asked

"However many Salamence judged worthy to battle in competition" answered Ash.

When the cloud of dust was upon them they had to wait a few minutes for it to clear. When it did what a wonderful sight it was to behold.

Brock and Cilan looked out into the crowd of about 70 pokemon and thought how on earth is Ash going to choose which ones to use during this tournament.

Brock: _I have never in my life been more impressed. Every single one of these pokemon have been well trained. This is absolutely unbelievable_

Cilan:_ I wish the others came with us this is incredible Ash will have a tough time losing this tournament with this much variety._

As both of the gym leaders looked out into the crowd they started pointing out to themselves the pokemon that they recognized from their individual travels with Ash.

Cilan: _That must be Ash's old Dewott. I see it's a Samurott now no surprise, and over there standing next to that Charizard is his Emboar. Oh wow I see Snivy has evolved a couple of times into that Serpior. Krookodile looks good and seems to be getting along with Sceptile over there. _

Brock: _Torterra, Infernape, Floatzel, wow that must be Gible I see it's evolved a few times, Charizard, Sceptile, Donphan, Glalie, Swellow, Oh my god is that Feraligatr tap dancing that could only be totodile. Quilava, bayleef, Noctowl, Snorlax, No way I have to be mistaken Blastoise and Venusaur they decided to finally evolve this is crazy._

After the two had given up on finding all of the pokemon they recognized throughout the crowd, they started looking over some of the pokemon Ash must have caught over the past 7 years.

Brock: _Dragonite, Golduck, Alakazam, Rhyperior, Kingdra, Skarmory, Sableye, Metang…..etc._

Cilan: _Espeon, Poliwrath, Gengar, Gardevoir, Elektross, Zoruark….etc._

"Ash you have really outdone yourself." Stated Brock

"Yeah I wouldn't even stand a chance these days would I" whispered Cilan.

As Brock and Cilan continued to talk about Ash's pokemon together, Ash decided that he should probably address his pokemon. He climbed on top of Salamance's back and ordered him to hover above the others so that they could all see him.

"When I was younger I used to dream about becoming a pokemon master! And in four months we will make that dream come true! Each and every one of you has joined me somewhere along this journey! And I am happy to tell you that in four months we will be competing in the Tournament of Masters! For some of you it will be your first time in an official pokemon league battle! For others it will be a chance to start over fresh and show the world how strong you have gotten since the last time they saw you! But there is something you all should know this tournament is the real deal, the best of the best!

All of Ash's pokemon gave out a roar of satisfaction. They were ready to prove themselves. More importantly they were ready to prove to the world that their master was worthy of being a master champion.

"We will be training every other day for the next couple months in preparation for the preliminaries. Now go and get some rest I will see you tomorrow bright and early we start at dawn!"

As Ash signaled to Salamence that he was ready to land, the rest of his pokemon made their way back to their homes spreadout throughout the enormous room. Once they had landed Ash recalled Salamence and whispered to its pokeball good job.

Brock grasped Ash by the shoulder "Quite the inspirational speech Ash, I'm sure your pokemon will be ready to go."

"Yeah Ash I have never seen so many powerful pokemon in one place before that was quite the experience." said Cilan.

Ash appreciated the fact that his friends took so much interest in his pokemon."Thanks guys I really appreciate it, to be honest it was pretty cool for me to. I've never seen all of my pokemon together like this before. Over the past seven years the most I've seen at once is 6."

Brock checked his watch "Holy crap! Cilan it's almost 3 and we need to have dinner done by 5"

Cilan's eyes got really big for a split second before he answered. "We lost track of time, Ash we better head back to your house so we can start making dinner."

Professor Oak escorted the three back through the massive door, up the never ending staircase and down the hall to the front door before he grabbed Ash by the arm for word alone. "Ash I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say I've heard a very interesting rumor."

Ash looked through the door to make sure that Brock and Cilan weren't in listening distance. "And what would this rumor be professor?"

Professor Oak's face was stern and serious "The rumor is that Tobias was spotted for the first time since he lost against the elite four. People are saying that he has gotten a heck of a lot stronger. I'm telling you this because Scott called me the other day letting me know that his name was in the preliminary database for the Tournament of Masters."

Ash gave Professor Oak a casual smirk "Well professor if that is the case and Tobias is competing. I'm going to have to give Bill a call to let him know that his pokeball transfer machine better be working. I may actually need to use one of the pokemon he's been holding for me."

**To Be Continued…..**

**Well I finished the chapter last night I was bored. Let me know what you think in the review section. You guys may think that Ash might have a little bit too much going on. But, trust me he is going to need it.**


	5. Gods and Kings

**Author Notes: **_It took me a while to decide on what I wanted to do with this chapter. I think you guys will like it. It's much longer than the previous chapters so enjoy!_

It has been two weeks since our hero has been back in Pallet town. He has spent this time catching up with his friends and training his pokemon. The 22 year old trainer has been spending every other day within the zero room. Getting his pokemon ready for the preliminary's that will take place in just over 6 weeks.

Of Ash's friends the only ones to have seen the zero room are Cilan and Brock. After Ash showed them all of his pokemon at Professor Oak's lab he told the two to keep it a secret.

**Flash Back A week and a half ago:**

Ash, Brock, and Cilan were walking back to the Ketchum residence. Cilan and Brock were about 5 yards in front of Ash speaking to each other about what they had just seen.

Ash was trailing behind them in deep thought about what professor Oak had just told him. _If professor Oak is right and Tobias is competing in the tournament than things are going to be a heck of a lot harder. Now i'm going to have to deal with his Latios and Darkrai again. But, that's not the problem I have a pokemon on me at the moment that could probably take care of those two by itself. The issue is I never saw the rest of his team not to mention what kind of pokemon he has gotten his hands on the past 7 years. But, he doesn't know what pokemon I have now either so he shouldn't have an advantage. Unless…._

The aspiring pokemon master picked up a slight jog to catch up with Cilan and Brock. "Hey guys wait up I need to talk to you!"

Cilan and Brock stopped and turned around. "What is it Ash? We need to get back to start dinner." Said Brock,in a curious tone.

Ash gave them a menacing look that the two had never seen from him before."Don't worry it'll only take a second. I don't want either of you to say anything to any of the others about what pokemon I have."

Brock and Cilan didn't understand. "Why not? Knowing you I would have thought you would want to show them off" exclaimed Cilan.

Ash sighed "Look guys it's just not the right time. This tournament is going to be tough and I need every advantage I can get. The one advantage I definitely have (Ash didn't feel like bringing up Tobias it would only lead to a bunch of questions) is the fact that the other competiters don't know what I am capable of and more importantly they don't know what pokemon I have. You may still be wondering why I don't want you guys to tell our friends. Trust me I wish I could, I just don't want to take any chances do you understand."

Both Brock and Cilan respected Ash's decision and agreed that they would stay silent until the tournament. The three made their way back to Ash's house so that Brock and Cilan could start on dinner.

Ash: _Trust me guys if you can do this then everything else will fall into place. _

**End of Flashback:**

It was around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Ash had just finished an intense training session with a few of his pokemon and was on his way home to get a bite to eat.

It was a beautiful day outside and the sun was awake in the east. During Ash's walk home he couldn't help but wonder what his mother had made him for lunch. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. His pokemon sent him home once they had heard his stomach growl for the twentieth time in an hour.

Ash opened the door and he had to look twice before he could comprehend that what he saw was real. "Misty are you cooking?"

Misty looked up from the vegetables that she had lined up on the cutting board and gave Ash a smile. "Hey Ash, Delia and the others made a trip to Viridian city to get some pokemon food. So I decided that since your letting me stay here I would make you some stew. I got the recipe from Brock and it's very detailed so it shouldn't be too hard to mess up."

Ash smirked at Misty and said "No offence Misty but I remember your cooking back when I traveled with you and let's just say it wasn't the best, by the way why didn't they just go get pokemon food from professor Oak."

Misty turned bright red "Ketchum! I try to do something nice for you for a change and you thank me with insults." Misty's face abruptly turned back to its normal color "And just in case you didn't know I'm 23 years old not 11 I learned how to cook a long time ago."

Ash couldn't help but smile he walked over to Misty and wrapped his arm across her shoulders. He then looked her in the eye and laughed "It's all fun and games Mist I just wanted to see if you still had that temper. I'm sure you're quite the cook nowadays."

Misty playfully pushed Ash away. "Oh I'll never lose my temper hot shit, If you want I can go fetch my mallet I still don't travel without it."

With the mention of Misty's mallet Ash backed off a bit "That dreadful thing, you still have it."

"Oh yeah… and if you don't sit down when your food is ready and eat every last bit of it i'll reintroduce it to the back of your head" smirked Misty with her trademark quirky swagger.

Ash looked down at the floor for a second before picking his head back up "Misty I just want to let you know that I really missed you."

The young orange haired woman's body posture started to change. She looked down at the ground and started twiddleing her thumbs. _Should I tell him. I promised myself that if he ever came back I would tell him how I felt. I never thought this day would come but there he is standing right in front of me. It's just a few words, but those words could change everything. What if he doesn't feel the same way about me. No…I'm just thinking like a coward. I have to tell him now I can't put this off any longer._

"Is something on your mind Mist?" asked Ash completely oblivious that his best friend from childhood was seconds away from confessing her love for him.

Misty picked up her head and looked Ash directly in the eyes. _This is completely terrifying but if I am going to do this I'm going to do it right. _"Ash, there is something I've been meaning to tell you since you came home."

Ash was still clueless to what Misty was doing but was curious nonetheless. "What is it Misty?"

Misty opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a suspicious May standing by the entrance into the kitchen. "Well hello May, what are you doing here? I thought you went to the city with everyone else."

May gave Misty a disinterested sigh "I didn't feel like getting up at 7 in the morning, figured I might as well get sleep while I can. It's going to be hard to come by once we start traveling."

Ash gave Misty a smile "She's so right, remember that one time we were traveling through the viridian forest. You didn't sleep for two days because you were afraid a bug pokemon might sneak up on you."

Misty started to turn red again but this time she was more embarrassed than angry. "Ash.. you promised you would never say anything about that."

Ash chuckled a little bit. "If I remember correctly I promised I would never bring it up. I believe May brought up the idea of not getting sleep while traveling. I merely gave her an example of a time where you couldn't sleep."

The former gym leader's face started to turn from embarrassed red to a deeper furious red. _And to think that I actually like this 22 year old brat._

May broke the awkward tension with a question for Ash "So, Ash I came over here because I was sort of bored. I was wondering whether or not you were interested in a 4 on 4 pokemon battle."

Ash was a little surprised by the question. _I don't want anyone else to see my pokemon. _"I'm sorry May but now is not a good time, Misty is making me some stew."

May gave Ash a comical look. "Since when has Ash Ketchum aspiring pokemon master ever refused a battle. Ketchum don't tell me you've gotten soft these past 7 years."

The black haired trainer started to grimace a little bit. _Pshhh bull crap.. May if I were you I'd be very careful about who you are calling soft. Wait a second she's trying to bait me in I need to keep my cool. _"Not now May maybe another time" Said Ash while hiding his grimace."

After Misty was done letting herself know that the moment was gone. The tall orange haired water pokemon specialist was actually curious to see how much progress Ash had made as a trainer. "Ash don't be a chicken, battle her lunch can wait until after."

Ash couldn't believe it _First May calls me soft, now Misty is calling me a chicken! It would be going against all of my principles if I don't accept this challenge. _"Fine may you're on! But why don't we make things a little more interesting."

_What does he mean more interesting? _"And what exactly do you have in mind Ash?" asked May in a curious tone.

Ash gave a wickedly playful smile "Loser calls the winner master for a week."

May thought about it for a second before deciding. "Ash Ketchum, calling me master oh boy this is too good of an opportunity to pass up. I agree to your terms"

"Well that's great May but I'm sure it's going to be the other way around. You might as well give up and start calling me master right now that way at least it will be your choice." Exclaimed Ash arrogantly.

May turned around and started to make her way to the front door. She turned around while reaching for the door handle. "Well what are you waiting for Ketchum are we going to do this or not."

Ash headed for the front door as well while Misty took the pot off the stove to cool down. The former gym leader untied her apron and started following him out the door. _Well this is going to be interesting._

The three friends made sure that they were a reasonable distance away from anybody's house. May walked about 15 yards away from the group and ash turned around to face her. Misty stood about halfway between them and off to the side to make sure that she wasn't caught up in the battle.

Misty assumed the role of the ref and started to explain the rules. Meanwhile Ash was in deep thought about how he should approach this battle. _Thank God May only asked for a four on four battle, if she would have asked for a full-battle I would have refused her no matter what. I don't want them to see Salamence so I'll stay away from using him._ Ash moved his hand towards where he kept his pokeball's clipped to the side of his belt. He started petting a special pokeball that stood out among the rest, its bottom half was gold and its top half was black. _I'm sorry buddy I know you hate that I only let you out at night when everyone is asleep. But, I need to keep you a secret until the tournament begins._

Salamence and the mysterious pokemon in the gold and black pokeball were the only pokemon on Ash that he traveled to pallet with. _Luckily I left the other three (everyone knows Pikachu) with professor Oak otherwise May would have gotten a real taste of what I am bringing to the Indigo Plateau._ _Ash then reached for a pokeball and unclipped it from his belt. You may not be battling my best but these four should be more than enough May._

As Misty was finishing up explaining the rules Ash couldn't help but smile at May. "Just like old time, right May?"

May glared at Ash from her side of the makeshift battlefield "Except this time we won't tie."

Misty: "May challenged Ash, therefore she will make the first move. Ready Begin!"

The pretty 20 year old trainer tossed the pokeball she had grasped in her slender hand "Wartortle, the stage is yours!"

_Perfect _with no more than a second of recognition Ash imitated May by lofting up his pokeball. "Bayleef Magical Leaf Now!" The very moment bayleef emerged from her pokeball the three trainers could smell the spicy aroma coming from the buds were embedded around its neck.

After taking a little bit over a millisecond to register Ash's command Bayleef scattered multiple curious leaves intended to chase down her target. Given the fact that magical leaf is move that never misses Wartortle took a direct hit from the aroma pokemon's attack.

Letting out a cry of pain Wartortle was knocked on its back but quickly got back up to perform May's command "Use skullbash!" The turtle pokemon shot itself forward at bayleef head first. _Not going to happen _"Bayleef, dodge and counter it with razorleef!" Bayleef easily evaded the skull bash attack and shot another barrage of leaves at Wartortle knocking it off its feet for the second time.

"Get up Wartortle we're going to turn this thing around!" Despite taking two critical hits back to back the water pokemon was quick to pick itself back up from the ground.

"Bayleef don't give it a chance to breathe, force the issue with body slam!" Bayleef took off toward its opponent at a full sprint. The grass type dove at the oversized squirtle in hopes of catching it with all of her momentum.

"Withdraw, and follow it with rapid spin" Wartortle retreated within its shell while Bayleef landed on top of it with a tenacious body slam.

Ash unintentionally let out a smirk _sorry May but withdraw isn't going to save your Wartortle from Bayleef's bodyslam. _After about ten seconds of silence Bayleef stood up and began to walk back over to Ash revealing an unconscious Wartortle.

Misty walked over and examined May's Wartortle "Wartortle is unable to battle, Bayleef wins!"

The enthusiastic trainer started to make his way over to Bayleef to let her know how well she battled, but before he could reach her she was engulfed by a very bright white light.

Ash and his friends shared a collective gasp as the bright light started to change shape. The process was over in a matter of seconds and when the white flash subsided Bayleef had evolved into Meganium. The Sauropod pokemon was much bigger than she was as Bayleef. The buds around her next had blossomed, and instead of having a leaf coming out of her head like her previous two forms she had two stamen-like protrusions sprouting from the top of her nose. _Well what do you know, maybe this battle wasn't such a bad idea. _Ash thought to himself as he marveled at his newly evolved pokemon.

"Meganium, you ready to try out that new body of yours!" shouted ash in an encouraging tone.

Maganium looked back at her friend and gave him a nod that let Ash know that she was ready as soon as he gave the order.

Once all of the commotion over Ash's Bayleef evolving came to a close May recalled her Wartortle. With Wartortle's pokeball in hand she thanked him for trying his best and reached for her second pokemon. _Alright no more messing around I have to get rid of Meganium as soon as possible._

Taking a page out of Ash's book May chucked her second pokeball out to meet Meganium while saying "Blaziken I choose you!" Erupting from the red and and white sphere was May's very first pokemon.

_Crap. If I remember correctly I believe Misty said there are no substitutions. Alright I guess were about to find out what you're made of Meganium. _"Meganium use petal dance!" The Sauropod pokemon tactically shot out several pink razor sharp petals that hastily surrounded May's Blaziken.

"Blaziken burn those flowers down with flamethrower!" The fire/fighting type spun around a full 360 degrees taking care of every last one of Meganium's petals. "Great job Blaziken. Now get in close and use blaze kick."

Blaziken showed off its great speed and within a few seconds time was face to face with Meganium. "Reflect!" Before Blaziken could connect with a powerful blaze kick Meganium shrouded itself with a purple transluscent protective shield nullifying the fire types attack.

"Good work Meganium. Now grab hold of it with vinewhip." Meganium dropped its shield and latched onto Blaziken's right arm with one of its two vines. "Get the other arm!"

"I don't think so Blaziken use Meganium's attack against it and draw it in!" Blaziken grabbed hold of the vine connected to its right arm with his left and pulled Meganium in. "Now follow it up with blaze kick!" The tall birdlike pokemon's leg was covered in flame as it unleashed a gut wrenching kick that connected cleanly with Meganium's underside launching it into the air.

The Sauropod pokemon reached about 40 feet in the air before it came spiraling down still conscious. "Meganium if you can hear me get Blaziken back with a solar beam attack!" Still responsive Meganium unleashed a giant bluish white blast from its mouth and directed it toward the fire type.

May was wide eyed _How in the hell did it manage to conjure up a solar beam that fast. Theirs_ _No way we could possibly dodge that we only got one option and that's to go right through it. _"Blaziken cut through that solarbeam and meet Meganium head on with Flare Blitz!"

Using its supernatural jumping abilities Blaziken sprung itself into the sky with its entire body engulfed in flames. The tall bird-like pokemon met the high powered solar beam head on and slowly pushed its way through.

Ash:_ May's Blaziken has gotten a lot better. In the past a solar beam on that level would have been enough._

Giving Ash only enough time for that one thought, Blaziken broke through the solarbeam and collided with Meganium. Meganium came crashing down to the ground like a comet. Ash and Misty sprinted over to the sauropod pokemon to make sure it was ok. Once they knew that Meganium was just unconscious and should be fine once Ash had a chance to take her over to professor Oak's lab, Misty continued to call the match. "Meganium is unable to battle Blaziken is the winner!"

Ash recalled Meganium to its pokeball and whispered "Great job Meganium I'm pround of you."

The aspiring pokemon master flipped his cap backwards before taking a good look at the shaking, panting Blaziken. _It took a lot of damge from that Solar Beam as well as the recoil from flare blitz it shouldn't be much longer now._

Ash unclipped his next pokeball from his belt, but before he threw it out to battle he came up with a peculiar idea, and faced Misty. "Misty are you carrying psyduck on you at the moment?"

May was starting to get irritated. "Ash lets go! Blaziken and I don't have all day!"

Ash turned around abruptly with a grimace on his face "May hold on a second this is important!" _Jeez if she would take a closer look at her Blaziken she would realize that it needs all the time it can get._

Misty finally answered "Um yeah, what could you possibly want with psyduck?"

Ash answered quickly knowing that May was about to blow a fuse. "If you don't mind I would like psyduck to see this next battle."

_What could he possibly have to benefit by having psyduck play the role of cheer leader _"Do you mind if I ask why?" replied the former gym leader.

Ash gave Misty a large grin that put butterflies in her stomach "I just think that watching this next battle might inspire him."

Misty didn't understand what Ash was talking about but she released psyduck from his pokeball nonetheless. A 2 foot tall yellowish duck pokemon emerged from its pokeball with the most clueless look on his face. "Psy-duck?"

Ash walked over to psyduck and bent down so he could look into its eyes "Hey psyduck it's been a while, I told Misty to let you out of your pokeball because you need to see this next battle. So just sit back and watch the show." Psyduck replied by waddling next to Misty and taking a seat.

Misty couldn't help but stare at Ash. _What in God's name is he up to?_

Ash walked back over to face May "I plan on finishing this battle with my next pokemon so we can start now."

May gave Ash a stern look "If you think you're about to take down Blaziken than your mistaken."

Ash gave May a cocky smile "It's not a matter of if I'm going to take down Blaziken, it's a matter of when. And when I said that I plan on finishing this thing with my next pokemon I wasn't referring to just Blaziken I was referring to the remainder of your pokemon."

May couldn't believe the arrogance coming from Ash. _He's crazy if he thinks that one pokemon of his can take out three of mine. I'll show him! _"Bring it on Ash!"

Ash didn't need to be told twice and tossed his pokeball in the air "Golduck get behind it and blow it away with hydro pump." The very second Golduck emerged from his pokeball he disappeared.

May and Blaziken had a baffled look on their face. To them it looked as if nothing had even come out of the pokeball.

_May is making this way to easy. But then again it's not every day that you come across a Golduck that knows teleport. _Ash's Golduck reappeared behind Blaziken within a blink of an eye and blasted it with a grueling hydro pump.

Blaziken was sent flying, and landed unconscious about 50 yards away. May ran to her pokemon's aid.

Misty stood in the same spot as before flabbergasted. _No fair! Ash has a Golduck and it knows teleport I've never even heard of that before. She than realized that this must be why he wanted psyduck to watch._

The orange haired water pokemon specialist looked over at Ash's Golduck and noticed that it was staring over in her direction and its eyes were giving off a bright bluish tint.

Although Golduck was Misty's favorite pokemon she had been involved in several situations where her dumb little psyduck had lost his cool, giving off that same look before destroying an entire building.

Misty decided that it would probably be a good idea to go call the battle between Blaziken and Golduck so she tried to pick psyduck up to move him over to where Blaziken had landed. When she bent over to pick him up she noticed that his eyes were the same bluish tint and he was looking directly at Golduck.

Ash and May were walking back to where Misty and Psyduck were when they noticed something odd going on between Psyduck and Golduck.

Misty looked up at Ash "Ash what is going on? what is your Golduck doing to my Psyduck?!"

Ash giggled "No worries Mist Golduck is just saying hello, their finishing up right now."

Just like Ash said the blue tint in both pokemon's eyes faded away, leaving Psyduck with his normal clueless expression.

Misty turned to Ash "How did you know that?"

Ash laughed "I'll tell you after the battle this has dragged on for way to long. Pikachu gets angry when I leave him by himself at the lab for too long."

Misty agreed before saying "Blaziken is unable to battle! Golduck is the winner!"

Ash and May turned back to their battle positions, Golduck teleported so that he was standing right in front of Ash. _"Golduck I know you're nervous about me putting a lot of pressure on you. But I know you can get through to Misty's Psyduck."_

Golduck scratched its head before replying "_Ash, we'll figure this out after the battle, for now let's just win."_

May called out her next pokemon. "Venusaur, take the stage!" _Let's just see what that Golduck can do when we have the type advantage._

"Golduck, pick it up with psychic!" Golduck's eyes flashed bright blue as he lifted Venusaur up with his mind. "Good now hold it there and use hyper beam" Golduck shot a large golden beam out of the diamond on its head that hit Venusaur causing it to faint on contact.

Misty: Venusaur is unable to battle! Golduck wins! _What is that Golduck's secret. I have met plenty of Golduck but this one is on a whole different level. Its psychic abilities far surpass the other Golducks that I've met._

May couldn't believe what Golduck had just done to her Venusaur. _I'm screwed Venusaur is my second strongest pokemon after Blaziken. Looks like I'm going to have to call Ash master for a week. How embarrassing why the hell did I agree to that._ Well I can at least take out that Golduck.

"Mismagius lets do this!" yelled May as she released her ghost type. _I have to get the first attack off or this match is as good as over. _Before May could even give a command Golduck was right in front of her face standing behind Mismagius. "Mismagius, turn around!"

Golduck snatched mismagius right out of the air and gave her the most powerful zen headbutt that May had ever seen, knocking her out instantly.

Misty: "Mismagius is unable to battle and May is out of pokemon! Making Ash Ketchum the winner!" _What the hell Ash didn't even give it any commands that time._

May was furious "Ash what the hell was that! You didn't do anything, since when did you start letting your pokemon go wild during the middle of battles!" All of a sudden May felt an unfamiliar presence inside of her mind.

"_Calm down human ash was giving me orders telepathically there was nothing unfair about that battle. _May looked like she had just seen a ghost she ran behind Ash like a scared kitten. "Ash you're Golduck can t-t-alk?"

Ash was in hysterics "_Golduck you can't be doing that you're going to make me piss myself."_

Golduck left his bubbly trainer near tears on the ground and made his way over to Misty and Psyduck. "_So you're Misty, Ash has told me a great deal about you."_

Misty blushed over Golduck's comment about Ash. Telepathic pokemon didn't bother her like they did May. Misty had met several pokemon while traveling with Ash that had this particular gift. In fact the idea that her favorite pokemon was telling her that Ash talked about her a lot was actually quite satisfying.

Misty tried to project her thoughts towards Golduck "_Can you hear me? I don't do this very often so forgive me if I struggle." _

"_I hear you just fine Misty" replied Golduck._

Misty projected her thoughts towards Golduck the same as the first time "_Thank you for letting me know that Ash talks about me, it means a lot more than you may think."_

Golduck shrugged "_I can tell that you have strong feelings for him"_

Misty's faced turned twice as red as it did the first time. "_How do you know?"_

"_When a human projects their thoughts toward a telepathic pokemon they subconsciously project their emotions as well. But, don't worry I won't tell him. It isn't my concern, I didn't come over here to talk to you about Ash I came here to talk to you about your psyduck."_

Misty was curious "_What do you have to say about psyduck?"_

Golduck scratched the back of his head which Misty assumed he picked up from Ash. "_I'm going to try to explain this to you as simple as I can. Within every species of pokemon there are those that are unique. This is visually proven true when you see pokemon that are oddly colored for example Ash's noctowl. (Golduck was told specifically during the battle that when having this conversation he couldn't mention Salamence or the other one.) But, one thing that humans other than Ash can't pick up on are those that are unique inside."_

Misty was following everything pretty well until Golduck mentioned the thing about Ash being able to pick up on things that other people can't. "_Wait what is so special about Ash?"_

Golduck let out a deep sigh _He hasn't told the girl has he "Has Ash ever told you about his encounter at the Tree of Beginning?" _

Misty answered "_Of course he has, it was while he was traveling through Hoenn with May, Max and Brock."_

Golduck sighed once more. _Ash must you keep secrets from even the one you love. I agreed that I wouldn't tell them the identities of any of your pokemon and I will honor that oath. I will even keep them completely out of discussion. But this matter is directly related to the girl's psyduck. _

"_Yes, that is true he did visit the Tree of Beginning with his friends. But, his connection with the Tree doesn't end there. I assume that Ash told you that directly after he left Unova while he was traveling on his own that he directly went to Jhoto right?" _

Misty's curiosity was now reaching an all-time high. _"Did Ash lie to us?"_

Golduck nodded his head. "_Yes Misty he lied, but for all the right reasons, because what I am about to tell you may be way to much for you to handle. That is if you still wish to continue?"_

Misty had to know "_If it regards Ash than I must know."_

"_I will tell you now and you will listen. So Ash told you that the first place he went to after Unova was Jhoto. That was a lie, the first place he went to after Unova was the Tree of Beginning. During his first trip to the Tree of Beginning he learned about aura. But, during his second trip to the tree is when the truth revealed itself. Ash went to the tree looking for a fresh start, it is not that uncommon, people do this all the time. Little did Ash know, his life was about to change dramatically. Have you ever wondered why Ash is always running into so many legendary pokemon? Have you ever wondered why he is able to solve problems that seem so much bigger than himself? The reason behind this is because Ash is actually the son of Arceus."_

Misty couldn't help but interrupt him. "_What?_ _Your trying to tell me that Ash is the son of a Pokemon God! Is this a joke?"_

"_No Misty it's not a joke, and deep down inside you know it's true. Just think about it when you were younger did you ever hear Ash talk about his father? If you too are supposedly best friends don't you think he would have told you at some point. Ash couldn't tell you about his father because he didn't even know his name. This will all make a lot more sense if I explain to you what Arceus really is. Arceus isn't just a pokemon God, he is the God. Arceus can take the shape of whatever he wants. Therefore he can be both human and pokemon. One day about 23 years ago God got sick of ruling his kingdom by himself, so he decided to create himself a mate. He learned to love his mate more than anything else in existence. After 2 years of ignoring humanity and pokemon, God got a knock on his door from the fates. The first thing they did when they walked in the door was tell God that his mate was with child. The second thing that the fates did was show God a vision, a horrible evil vision of what will happen if he continues to ignore the world. Realizing that he was being selfish God decided that he had to make a choice between his love, or the world. God decided that turning his back on the world for the sake of his own desires was despicable. Therefore he sent his lover and his soon to be born child into the world of humanity and pokemon. He stripped Delia of her godly essence and sent her to earth with fake memories so that she may raise her child and be happy. Instead of spending her time in his house alone while her husband watches over the world for this rest of eternity."_

Misty couldn't believe it _"You mean to tell me that the guy that I have had a massive crush on for the past 12 years is actually a God?"_

"_No Misty Ash is not a God, he is just as mortal as you and me. To be quite honest with you, Ash never even was a God. He was born after Delia was stripped of her essence. But, that doesn't change the fact that he is Gods son. Pokemon have always been much more spiritual than humans. It is much easier for us to understand a human, than it is for humans to understand pokemon, or even humans to understand other humans. But, one thing we don't understand is Arceus. God took the form of Arceus after he saw the vision. The vision was so horrible that God became obsessed with the idea of taking form of whatever being is the purest. He chose to take the form of a pokemon because unless tempted by humans pokemon are naturally pure creatures. But, no matter what form God takes he can't be understood by us mortals. The reason pokemon are attracted to Ash is because once a pokemon meets him they immediately know who he is. Delia and Ash may have been stripped of their Godly essence but the only way they could be stripped of their Godly nature would be if they were killed. We know Ash is the son of Arceus because Arceus has a Godly nature that we can't comprehend, and so does Ash."_

Misty finally decided that she believed Golduck. _You know when you think about it, it's really the only solution that can explain all the crazy things that have happened to him. "Ok so what does all of this have to do with my Psyduck?"_

"_For me to answer that question I have to turn back to 6 years ago to when Ash visited The Tree. Like I said before Ash went to the Tree of Beginning in order for him to find out more about himself. What he wasn't expecting was to be walking into the middle of a counsel meeting held by all of the legendary pokemon. And of course at the head of the table was none other than his father Arceus. All of the pokemon welcomed Ash. Most of them had met him personally. A few of them had been sent to Ash specifically by Arceus to test him. Ash thought that he had stumbled in on this meeting by accident. But what he soon found out was that it wasn't an accident it was a predetermined plan. Arceus had watched Ash his entire life, but it was when Ash got his first pokemon Pikachu, that Arceus first started to recognize himself in his son. From that moment on Arceus rooted for his son, and cried with his son. He planned on keeping it that way until something very unexpected happened , humans cloned Mew. It was when Ash literally changed the heart of another living being that Arceus realized he needed to push his son. Arceus sent obstacle after obstacle at Ash, and it always made him a better person. It was when Arceus finally decided to confront Ash during his travels in the Sinnoh region that his expectations were succeeded. Arceus then decided that on Ash's 16__th__ birthday he would draw him to the Tree of Beginning, tell him that he is his Dad, and give him a gift. When the counsel finally finished greeting Ash Arceus quieted the group of restless pokemon. Arceus took the form of a human and then told Ash that it wasn't an accident that he was there, he gave Ash the history of his birth, told him that he was his father, and even told him that all of the legendary pokemon that he met were tests from him. Arceus was expecting Ash to hate him for sending him to Earth. He was expecting Ash to hate him for pushing him so hard. He had even come up with the idea that his son might not even believe him. But, Ash said something that his father wasn't expecting. Ash told Arceus that he believed him. And then looked around the room at all the friends he had made and thanked his father for testing him. The last thing Ash told Arceus was that he loved him and respected him for the decision he made regarding the world. Arceus shed tears for the first time in his life that day, tears shared with his son that he was afraid he would never get to meet. Arceus than touched Ash right on the forehead and gave him the gift of being able to see a life forms nature as clear as water . As the meeting was coming to a close Arceus pulled his son in for a hug and told him something that he thought would interest him. Arceus told Ash that in 6 years there would be a tournament to decide the best pokemon trainer in the world. At that moment three of the legendary pokemon at the meeting decided to join Ash on his journey. Those three pokemon believe that if anyone is deserving of holding the title of pokemon master it is Ash."_

Misty was speechless. _Ash is the son of a God, he has three legendary pokemon, and could possibly become a pokemon master. This is a lot to take in. _She then realized that Golduck was leaving a very important detail out. _"What about my Psyduck?"_

Golduck knew he was forgetting a very important detail. "_What you need to know about your Psyduck is that it has an incredibly rare nature a nature that only Ash can find. Only around 2-3 pokemon of each species are born with this nature. Any pokemon that has it holds an unbelievable amount of potential, but the drawback is that they are the most difficult kind of pokemon to train. For whatever reason they enjoy to play dumb, but trust me they're not. Your Psyduck is one of the most intellectually gifted pokemon in the world, as well as holds an unbelievable amount of power. I would know this because I was the same way when Ash found me. As a matter of fact Misty you happen to be in the presence of the only two of our species that have the kings nature." _

Misty looked at Golduck, and then brought her eyes down to her Psyduck sitting next to her_. Psyduck I swear to Arceus that I am going to make you crack. You're going to show me your true nature whether you like it or not._

Ash made his way over to his Golduck and Misty. _So he broke the news to her. _"Golduck I'm about to head over to professor Oak's lab with May are you ready to go?"

Golduck nodded so Ash returned him to his pokeball. The trainer clipped Golduck's red and white sphere to his belt. "Mist, are you coming?"

Misty walked over to her two friends and gave Ash her typical confident look. _Don't think that because I found out your secret that I'm going to treat you any different Ash Ketchum. _"Ash, you're not going to the lab until you eat lunch."

May gave Ash an awkward smile "Better listen to her unless you want to get smacked across the head by her mallet, Master."

Ash started cracking up "Don't worry May I'll eat the lunch Misty made for me." _It's the least I could do for her after keeping her cool throughout that entire story._

**To Be Continued….**


	6. An old friend

**Author Notes: So I know I said that their was going to be some Ash, Misty alone time but I figured I would give her a little bit more time to think. After God's and Kings I figured I would take a little bit of a step back and make this chapter a little more grounded. I still think it works pretty well though so I hope you enjoy. Please leave reviews I'm always happy to here what you guys think.  
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**Ketchum Residence: Ash's Room….**

A few days after Ash's battle with May he was sitting on the edge of his bed venting to Pikachu. "Pikachu, I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to have Golduck tell Misty."

While Ash openly doubted himself, Pikachu comforted his friend "Pikapi, Pika-cha."

"That's true Pikachu she did have a right to know about Psyduck. But, it was possible to leave out the rest. She's been acting different around me since, like I'm not the same person that I was a few days ago."

Pikachu felt bad for his friend. The electric-type knew how much Misty meant to him, and if Misty couldn't accept where Ash came from than who would.

**Meenwhile…**

Misty was sitting at the desk in the guest bed room. Dawn had gone with Brock and Cilan to Professor Oak's to see what May, Max and Iris were up to, so she had the room to herself. The former gym leader was still having problems wrapping her mind around what Golduck had told her the other day.

_Ash's father is Arceus. Why is it that after 7 years of waiting for Ash to come home he has to show up with a secret like that. I mean how could I possibly stand a chance of winning over the son of a God. _

Over the last couple of days Misty felt as if things had gotten way too complicated. Her Psyduck had something called the King's nature which made him one of the rarest pokemon in the world, Ash was some sort of fallen deity, and she had no idea which issue she should confront first.

After pondering it over for a second she decided that the thought of confronting Psyduck was much less terrifying. She started to reach for its pokeball.

Before she could lay a finger on the red and white sphere she heard the door to the room open. Turning her head around in a suspicious sort of hastiness, she was shocked to find Delia standing in front of her accompanied by Ash's long-time rival and best friend Gary.

Delia had a large grin on her face "Misty look who came to see Ash."

"Hey Misty, how's it going?" asked the young man with spiky brown hair that matched the color of his eyes.

Misty studied Gary for a second, trying to comprehend how much he had changed since she had last him 3 years ago.

He had a patch of facial hair on his chin, and he looked about the same height as Ash. Gary was wearing a plane grey t-shirt that fit him well, along with a pair of blue jeans. His sneakers were worn which Misty assumed was probably from his travels.

Once Misty was finished looking Gary over she replied. "I've been great Gary, it's nice to see you. Have you seen Ash yet?"

Gary smiled at Misty. "No, not yet I was planning on heading upstairs to see him after I was finished talking to you."

Misty gave Gary and awkward smile. "Well why don't you go up and see him them? I'm sure he's going to be thrilled to see you."

Gary was a little bit offended that Misty was trying to brush him off but figured that she must have her reasons. _I probably shouldn't bother her any more than I already have it's obvious that she needs some time to herself. _"Yeah Misty I think you're right I'm going to head upstairs and see what Ash is up to."

Gary and Delia turned around and walked out the door. Delia headed in the direction of the kitchen, while Gary started to make his way down the hallway toward the stairs.

On his trip toward the stairs the spiky brown haired trainer noticed photographs on the wall of Ash and him. These photographs had been taken at various points throughout their childhood, and more than half of them were from the pokemon league.

Once Gary was done reminiscing over the photos he took the stairs that led toward his best friend. When Gary finally made his way to Ash's door he took a deep breath before knocking.

On the other side of the door Gary could hear a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. "Mom not now I'm busy!"

Interested in seeing what his bestfriend was busy with Gary opened up the door without any regard for privacy. Walking into Ash's room the first thing Gary saw was his former rival and bestfriend sitting on the edge of his bed with his Pikachu.

Ash turned his head in the direction of the door. What he saw left him with an expression of shock. _Holy…. Is that Gary. _

The very second Pikachu caught a glimpse of the man, the 2 foot tall yellow rodent leaped from the bed into Gary's arms "Pika!"

"Pikachu, long time no see my fury little friend." While Ash was still silent Gary was spinning Pikachu around in circles filling the air with laughter.

"G-g-ary…?" Ash rattled out of his mouth while still stooped on the edge of his bed.

Gary stopped his celebration with Pikachu to reach into his bag of old nicknames "Ashy-boy."

Immediately Ash stood up from his bed and rushed over to Gary to give the biggest of hugs. Over the last 7 years Ash had missed Gary the most, other than his Mom and Misty of course.

"It's great to see you Gary!" The two men held each other in a friendly embrace until Gary finally broke the man hug.

"It seems I'm still taller" Smirked Gary.

Ash gave Gary a really serious look before bursting into laughter, remembering how he and Gary used to get in loud obnoxious arguments about who was taller.

"So Gary, how have you been? How has the Professor thing been treating you?" Ash asked.

Gary sighed and gave Ash a sincere look in the eye. "Come on Ash are you kidding me? You're the one that disappeared. It's only fair that you should answer my questions first."

Ash gave his former rival a shrug and said "It's only natural, go ahead ask away."

Gary asked Ash a multitude of questions about where he had been the past seven years. The aspiring pokemon master answered the majority of Gary's questions truthfully, purposely leaving out anything that could possibly lead the conversation in the direction of his father.

The brown eyed trainer was astounded by all the things Ash had done, but was specifically waiting for Ash to bring up a certain detail that he had yet to mention. _Oh well, might as well come right on out with it._

Before Gary could say what was on his mind Ash opened his mouth to speak. "So Gary, now that I'm finished could you answer my question from before?"

"Well… things have been great. I did the Professor thing for about 4 years after you left until I got bored. After that I decided to pick up training again. Best decision of my life to be honest with you. Over the last 3 years my pokemon and I have been hard at work getting stronger every day."

Ash was happy for Gary. He always knew that Gary was a natural battler. Ever since Gary decided he wanted to be a Professor, Ash had a pretty good idea that it was just a phase.

Out of the blue a thought started to form inside of Ash's head. _Wait a second… _Ash gave Gary a fierce smirk.

Gary mirrored Ash giving him a look that was just as confident. _So you figured it out._

Pikachu, sensing the tension wiggled free of Gary's arms and leaped over to Ash. He then made his way up his trainer's shoulder before settling in his usual resting place atop Ash's head.

The two stood there for a minute or two glaring at each other until Gary finally opened up his mouth to speak. "So Ash, it seems like fate has brought our paths together again. I look forward to getting a chance to battle you in the Tournament of Masters.

Gary was surprised to see Ash raise an eyebrow, and then follow it with a complete look of cluelessness.

Shaking off the surprise Ash looked down at the floor while scratching the back of his head. "Oh, so you're in the tournament I was just thinking that the only reason you're taller than me right now was because you are wearing shoes."

Gary broke into an uncontrollable laughter that brought him to tears. Ash soon joined him, and after a good couple minutes of hysterics the two started to calm down.

Gary: _Some things never change I guess. He may have been gone for seven years but he's still the same old Ash._

The two best friends than engaged in simple small talk for a while until Gary brought up a very touchy subject "So, what's the deal with Misty? I talked to her before I came up to see you and she seemed a little off."

Ash thought about how he should answer this and came up with a simple answer. _I'm just going to act like I have no idea what he is talking about. _"Really, I have no idea maybe she just got off the phone with her sister's or something. They always seem to put her in a bad mood."

Gary thought Ash's answer was legitimate and left the subject alone. "So Ash, I was thinking why don't we finish catching up in the forest, maybe we'll run into some cool pokemon or something."

Ash thought back to the days when they would go out into the forest and befriend wild pokemon. "Of course, just like old times."

Gary nodded and made his way out Ash's door with Ash following close behind him. After a short walk out of the house the two started to make their way east.

Once they arrived at the edge of the forest Gary came to a halt. "Ashy-boy, I just had a really good idea."

Ash turned to Gary having a pretty good idea of where this was going. "What are the rules?"

Gary gave Ash a short chuckle before answering his question. "We'll meet back her in one hour, whoever catches the stronger pokemon has bragging rights until the preliminaries."

The trainer with raven colored hair and a Pikachu on his head immediately took off sprinting into the forest.

Gary stood there for a second before realizing that he had just given his former rival a head start. _Shit I better get going._ The spiky brown haired trainer took off into the forest as well, heading in a different direction than his best friend.

After Ash had made his way deep into the forest he slowed his sprint into a walk, understanding that if he kept his previous pace he would tire out way to fast. Pikachu than hopped off Ash's head a little bit dizzy from the ride and followed his friend through the forest.

The trainer and his Pikachu were on the verge of giving up. It had been 45 minutes, the sun was starting to come down, and the only pokemon they had spotted were a few pidgey and a group of ratatta.

"Pika pi." The electric type sighed.

"Yeah, Pikachu you're probably right, we should head back I don't think we are going to find anything out here."

The two partners were about to turn around when they saw it, sleeping in a sitting position with its back against the trunk of tree was a Marowak. Normally Ash would have left it in peace regardless of competition, trying to capture a pokemon while it was sleeping was just something he didn't like to do.

But, as soon as he laid eyes on it he knew that he couldn't let this chance slip away. "Pikachu, I know you're not going to like this but I want you to wake it up" whispered Ash.

The electric-type gave his trainer a surprised look wondering why Ash was going against his principles for a silly competition. "Pika?"

Ash keeping his voice down to a whisper had a look of excitement on his face "This isn't about a stupid competition, that Marowak has the king's nature."

Pikachu gasped and after understanding the situation made his way over to the sleeping Marowak. The yellow rodent gently shook the passed out pokemon before sprinting back to Ash's side.

The notoriously savage pokemon raised an eye lid and took notice of the human and the electric-type pokemon. Marowak was furious that someone would have the nerve to wake him from his slumber, but after taking a look at Ash he could tell that the human was different.

To Ash's surprise the Marowak kept his cool. The ground-type slowly came to his feet before walking over to a large nearby bush.

While Marowak was reaching inside the bush, Ash thought to himself. _What the hell is it doing? _Ash's question was answered when the evolved Cubone pulled out a massive bone that it gripped tightly with its right hand.

_Oh my god that is the largest bone I have ever seen a Marowak carry. It's at least twice the size of its body. What kind of beast did that thing come from._

The Marowak then turned to Ash and pointed the gargantuan bone in his direction before opening its mouth to speak. "Maro..wak..wak..Maro."

Ash started to get pumped. "You want to battle right. When you lose what do you think about coming along with me? I can help you become the strongest Marowak in the world."

The loner pokemon smirked and nodded to Ash's terms. Marowak wasn't worried in the least bit, in all of its years of life it had never lost a battle and didn't plan on losing to some strange smelling human.

Ash smiled and started to reach for Golduck's pokeball. "Hey Marowak, you're about to find out just how strong you can be!" The son of Arceus launched Golduck's pokeball at the king's natured Marowak's feet.

Emerging from a flash of brilliant red light Golduck appeared a mere inches from Marowak. Calmly Ash gave Golduck its orders "Golduck, dynamic punch." The psychic duck unloaded one of the most vicious Dynamic punches Marowak had ever seen.

The Skull helmet pokemon raised its bone just in the knick of time and blocked the ferocious attack. The collision made a giant thud and the two pokemon were faced with an old fashion stale mate.

With neither pokemon giving up ground, Ash stared at the scene with a smile. _Just as I expected from a pokemon with the king's nature, now it's time to stop messing around._

"Golduck, stop testing it and end this."

The water/psychic-type vanished right in front of Marowak. The bone wielding pokemon looked around in a state of panic before feeling an enormous amount of pain in its back. Before losing consciousness it saw the blue duck standing over it with a glowing fist, giving off a powerful smirk.

Ash immediately tossed a pokeball at the unconscious Marowak, connecting with is target the bone wielding pokemon was engulfed by a flash of light and sucked up into the red and white sphere. The pokeball rolled once before coming to a stop. Ash then picked it up before clipping it to his belt. _No worries Marowak you're in good hands, give me a couple weeks and you'll be giving Golduck a run for his money._

As soon as Ash finished his thought he was knocked off his feet by an enormous amount of water. "_Is that so Ash, It will take a lot more than a couple of weeks to get that Marowak on my level even if it does have the king's nature."_

"_What the hell Golduck that wasn't cool. I guess you're right though it would take a lot longer than two weeks for him to be close to your level. But, in a short amount of time I could at least get him to a level where he can do some serious damage in the preliminaries."_

Golduck nodded and gave his master some help getting up. Ash than told his friend that it was time to get going and he returned him to his pokeball.

Once Ash and Pikachu had made their way out of the forest, Ash noticed Gary sitting on the grass right around where they planned on meeting back up. The raven haired trainer with his Pikachu on his head made his way to Gary.

"Yo, Gary did you catch anything!" Ash yelled as he approached his spiky brown haired friend.

Gary showed a frown before opening his mouth to speak. "Na, didn't see anything worth catching. Did you have any luck?"

Ash was about to tell Gary the story before a thought crossed his mind. _I might have to battle Gary in the preliminaries, and if I do I don't want him to have any idea what pokemon I could use. I'm also not losing the competition if I say I didn't catch anything since he didn't either._ "No, man the forest was pretty dry all I saw was a few ratatta."

Gary stood up and gave Ash a suspicious look "Alright, well we should head back than it's getting late."

"Agreed, I wonder what my mom made for dinner!" Ash said to Gary with a tone of excitement in his voice.

"I have no idea, but if your mom cooked it than I'm sure it will be delicious." Gary replied

The two best friends made their way back to the Ketchum residence with empty stomach's and large grins on their faces.

**To Be Continued...**


	7. Flashback of a reunion

**Author Notes: This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I think it turned out good. I hope you guys like it. **

It has been a week since our hero reunited with his best friend Gary and captured the King's natured Marowak. Over the last Week Gary has left Pallet town to finish up his training. Ash has spent this time working with his pokemon as well. We find our aspiring pokemon master currently in the zero room finishing up his training for the day.

**Zero room: **

"Alright guys that is enough for today!" Ash bellowed out to his pokemon after a long day of hard work. The diverse group of pocket monsters all nodded their heads in agreement. Most started to make their way back to their respected homes within the beautiful arrangement that was the zero room, but just like every other time, 6 pokemon chose to stay with their master until the next training session.

Today's group consists of Ash's Sceptile, Charizard, Salamence, Marowak, Golduck, and as always Pikachu.

Pikachu scurried over to his best friend, and as usual his buddy picked him up and placed him on top of his head which was Pikachu's favorite resting place. The other's stood there waiting to be recalled, but for some reason their master was just standing there looking at them in what seemed to be a deep thought.

Ash: _The preliminaries will be taking place a little over a month from today. My pokemon should as they are now, be able to mop the floor with most of the competition. But, we have to keep training just in case we get put in the same bracket as Tobias, or Gary. _

Charizard gave Ash a gentle nudge trying to break his trainer free from the self-inflicted trance that they were observing first hand.

Ash abruptly jumped back, a little stunned by his orange fire dragon's presence.

Charizard looked at his trainer in concern, making a series of growls and grunts in attempt to ask his friend what was on his mind.

For some of his more recently captured pokemon Ash would have had Golduck open up a telepathic link so that they could understand each other. But, this wasn't necessary with Charizard. Ash had spent enough time with him to make out what his growls, grunts, and roars meant.

"Sorry Charizard, I was just thinking about the preliminaries and trying to figure out what we need to do in order to ensure victory." Ash told his pokemon while giving him a friendly rub across the inside of his wing, which Charizard always enjoyed.

Charizard knew how stressed his master was. He understood that his friend has been away from the public for a long time and wants nothing more than to prove himself and his pokemon. So to the best of his ability Charizard comforted Ash and tried to let him know that his hard work will pay off, and that if it came down to it he would win the tournament for Ash all on his own.

Ash thanked his large dragon like fire-type for being such a good friend and couldn't help but remember how the two had been reunited almost 4 years ago.

**Flashback:**

It has been about a month since Ash picked up Gliscor and he is currently just outside Violet city about to enter the Charific valley.

As the 18 year old trainer approached the enormous mountain formation that was shaped like a Charizard, he couldn't help but wonder how his Charizard must have changed over the past 5 years.

Ash looked at Pikachu who was resting comfortably on his shoulder. "Pi, we haven't seen Charizard since the battle frontier. Do you think he's still the same arrogant pokemon that helped me defeat an Articuno, or do you think he's changed?"

Pikachu looked up at his friend with a large grin on his face "Pika pi, cha"

"Yeah you're probably right he couldn't have changed too much." Ash smiled at Pikachu and gave his best friend a gentle pet behind his ears.

Pikachu happily let out a playful squeal and got himself comfortable on top of Ash's head.

The two best friends entered the vast mountainous archway that was the entrance to the Charific valley. The first thing they noticed was the change in temperature. _I freaking forgot how hot this place is._ Ash thought to himself while wiping a collection of sweat from his forehead.

Pikachu felt the same as his trainer, since the difference in temperature was hardly bareable.

After accepting that the Charific valley wasn't going to cool down anytime soon, Ash and Pikachu looked out at the beautiful view. The mountains surrounded a gorgeous lake, the water was crystal clear, and it sat calmly as if there wasn't a single worry in the world. On the east side of the lake there was a large familiar patch of land. The mountainous lake beach is where Liza, the valley's protector and the trainer of Charla lives.

Ash figured that the best place to start looking for his Charizard would be at Liza's place. He made his way along the path around the outskirts of the lake. On his way he noticed a group of about 5 or 6 Charizard soaring over the lake in the direction of Liza's. Ash was amazed by the size of the fire dragons. They were all at least 3 times bigger than his Charizard was the last time he saw him.

_I wonder if one of those guys is my Charizard. _Ash thought to himself while he admired the marvelous spectacle.

Ash and Pikachu arrived at Liza's house not to long after the group of Charizard. As the two approached the front door they noticed that all of the Charizard present, were giving them an intimidating glare. The aspiring pokemon master and his yellow rodent glared back, understanding that if it came down to it they had more than enough fire power to defend themselves.

The multiple Charizard continued to stare at the young human and his Pikachu. But, got an unusual vibe from them so they decided that it was probably best to just see what Liza thought of their guests.

Ignoring the flock of angry Charizard, Ash and Pikachu made their way to Liza's front porch. Liza's house was fairly small it was just large enough to keep a single person comfortable. Ash gave the front door a knock and after waiting for what seemed to be a couple of minutes the door started to open.

On the other side of the door stood a beautiful woman with long green hair and blue eyes that looked to be in her late twenties, she wore a red top that ended just above her belly button. She also had on red shorts that matched her top and long black boots.

"Who are you and what business do you have in the Charific Valley?" the woman asked Ash in a cautious tone.

"Well Liza I am here to pick up an old friend."

The woman looked the trainer over for a second before realizing who he was. "Ash, is that you?"

The aspiring pokemon master gave the woman a smile before answering her. "Yes, Liza it's me Ash, glad you recognized me."

The woman grinned and gave the trainer a welcoming hug. "Come in, come in! It's been so long."

Ash followed Liza to a comfortable looking couch that sat in Liza's living room. "So how have you been Ash?"

"I've been great, just been traveling gathering up all my old pokemon that I left to train with other people." Ash replied.

Liza unintentionally let out a frown before saying "Ash, I know you probably came here for your Charizard, and that's fine but I just want to warn you that there is a good chance that he won't want to come with you."

Ash sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well I'd like to see him and ask him myself."

Liza started to sense a sort of confidence from Ash that he didn't have the last time she saw him. Curious to find out what kind of person he had become she asked him a question. "And what exactly will seeing him do for you, how do you expect to get him to come along with you?"

"To be honest with you I have a plan. I'm going to ask him and if he says yes than there won't be any problems, if he says no I'll prove to him that he will get a lot stronger coming along with me than he will by staying here."

A little shocked by Ash's nonchalant sort of confidence Liza replied to Ash's comment. "Ash, Charla and Charizard went out to stretch their wings for a bit they should be back any minute. But, I just want to let you know that your Charizard has become the strongest in the valley I'm not sure how you could prove to him that going with you will make him any stronger."

Ash continued to look uninterested in what Liza had to say, but answered her nonetheless. "I expected nothing less than Charizard becoming the best. But, that is all the more reason for him to come with me. If he is the best here, he needs to spar with pokemon that are better than him and I can provide that for him."

"I don't think you understand how powerful Charizard has become. I'm not sure it's possible for you to have any pokemon that could be a challenge for him. He was you're strongest pokemon when you took on the battle frontier and he is at least three times stronger than he was when he beat an Articuno." Liza claimed trying to knock some sense into the overconfident 18 year old.

"Trust me Liza, if he is only 3 times stronger than he was last time I saw him than this will be easier than I thought." Just as Ash finished his sentence he heard a loud thud from outside the door.

"Well I hope you can put your money where your mouth is because they're here." Liza got up from the couch and Ash and Pikachu followed her outside the door.

Standing about ten yards from Liza's house were two of the biggest Charizard's Ash had ever seen. The one on the right wore a pink bow on top of her head and was a little bit smaller than the one on the left. Ash gave the Charizard on the left a quick look over. He immediately knew that he was looking at the Charizard that he had traveled with throughout the beginning of his journey.

Charizard was at least 3 times larger than he was when Ash last saw him. He carried himself with the same sort of arrogant cockiness that Ash remembered from all those years ago. _I'm going to have to bring you back down to earth aren't I big guy. _

Ash without a second thought started to make his way over to his old friend. As he got closer he noticed a scar that streaked down Charizard's right cheek that Ash assumed must have come from the claws of another Charizard.

"Hey buddy, how are things going?" Ash asked his old friend now standing directly in front of the large beast.

Charizard immediately knew who the young human standing in front of him was. He greeted his old master with his usual flamethrower to the face. But, surprising everyone Ash was ready for it and dodged it with ease.

"I see you haven't changed much. Let's just hope that you aren't as predictable in battles." Ash smirked.

Charizard was getting a little bit frustrated. He was starting to get the impression that his old master was mocking him. Charizard let out a series of grunts to let Ash know that he didn't appreciate the way he was speaking to him.

Liza didn't like the direction this was going. _If Ash doesn't start respecting Charizard, he's going to find himself in a lot of pain._

"So Charizard, I have come here to give you the chance to travel with me again. What do you say it'll be just like old times."

Charizard looked at Charla before turning his gaze back at his former master. He then stepped towards Ash and gave him a loud firm grunt that let Ash know that he wasn't completely convinced.

"What's the issue Charizard do you want to stay with your girlfriend, or is it the fact that you like being the top dog and cannot stand the idea of not being my strongest pokemon." Ash said in a confident tone.

Liza was stunned by how foolish Ash was acting. _Is this kid serious, is he asking to get burned to a crisp. _

Ash with Pikachu on his head turned his back to his old friend and started to walk away. He then turned his head back in Charizards direction. "It's ok Charizard, I was just trying to do you a favor. I thought you wanted to get stronger. I never expected that you would have grown so soft, maybe I'll stop by in another couple of years and you'll change your mind."

Charizard couldn't take being disrespected like this. He was the king of the Charific valley the strongest Charizard of them all. The massive large fire dragon lifted himself from the ground, he then landed directly in front of Ash to block his path.

The kanto starter unleashed a powerful roar to startle his former master. But, the aspiring pokemon master and his Pikachu didn't flinch one bit.

"Alright Charizard since you think you're the best I have a proposal for you. Let's have a battle, you vs. one of my pokemon. If by some miracle you win you can stay here and be king of the Charizard or whatever. But, when I win you come with me and you can be pushed to become stronger again."

Liza: _He acts as if Charizard is weak. I have seen Charizard in battle countless times there is no way Ash can win this._

Charizard once again looked in Charla's direction. The female fire dragon gave him a nod that told Ash that she approved of the battle. Ash found this a little bit amusing. "Charizard it looks like you're girlfriend wears the pants in your relationship."

Ash's oversized fire-type gave him a rough grunt that meant something along the lines of-shut your mouth you cocky human. "Alright hot shot, do you agree to my terms or not."

Charizard wasn't worried at all, he had always been Ash's strongest pokemon. Whenever his trainer was in a bind it was always him that he relied on. During his time in the Charific valley he battled the strongest Charizard's in the world, and beat every last one of them. He didn't think Ash could possibly have a pokemon strong enough to keep up with him, let alone defeat him.

Charizard nodded to his former master agreeing to his terms. Looking forward to the battle in which he would show Ash just how powerful he had become.

Ash turned around and stepped back about ten yards. "Alright Charizard it's time to settle this." The raven haired trainer reached for one of the pokeballs that was securely fastened to his belt.

Unclipping one of the red and white spheres Ash tossed the pokeball in the direction of his Charizard. "Salamence, teach Charizard a lesson!" Emerging from its pokeball was a dragon even bigger than Charizard with a green body and a white underbelly. Its wings were orange along with the scales along its neck and above its eyes.

Liza: _…..That Salamence..It's huge…It has been a long time since I have seen one but I am certain that it is a different color as well._

"Charizard I would like to introduce you to Salamence, one of my strongest. After he beats you he will be your sparring partner."

Salamence turned his head to face Ash, he greeted his master along with Pikachu before facing Charizard again.

"Now that you two are acquainted let us get along with this, Charizard are you ready?" Ash asked.

Getting a little bit excited after seeing his opponent Charizard released a cloud of smoke from his nostrils. Salamence mimicked his fellow dragon.

"Alright let's do this Salamence ascend!" The green and orange dragon left a cloud of dust on the ground as he launched himself into the sky. Within seconds the dragon-type was hundreds of feet in the air circling the still grounded Charizard.

Charizard understanding that this was going to be an air battle quickly followed his opponent into the air.

Salamence and Charizard faced off in the sky barely visible to Liza and Ash. Salamence realizing that they were two high in the sky for him to hear his master's orders quickly descended to a level where he could make out what Ash was saying.

Charizard trailed his opponent releasing a barrage of fire blasts trying to catch Salamence in the back during its descent. Salamence as if it had eyes on the back of its head easily avoided the fire-dragon's attacks without even looking in its direction.

Once Salamence reached a reasonable level he could hear his trainer shouting orders. "Salamence, dragonbreath followed by dragon claw!" The green and orange dragon faced Charizard still dodging his fire blasts. Salamence than opened its mouth releasing a powerful stream of purplish flame in the direction of Charizard engulfing his fire blasts and blinding him. Charizard avoided the stream of purple fire but was taken off guard as it found his opponent inches from him getting ready to drive its glowing claws into his chest.

Charizard never in his life had taken a blow as powerful as Salamence's dragon claw. He was thrown towards the ground at a frightening speed. The fire type managed to gather himself stopping a mere inches before hitting the hard rocky surface.

"Salamence, dragon tail!" Registering his trainers order Salamence closed its wings and started to descend in a nose dive towards its future disciple. Reaching striking distance Salamence flared open his wings and twisted his body so that his tail was facing downwards. In attempt to whip his tail on top of Charizards head the orange and green dragon somersaulted in midair trying to create momentum for his attack.

Charizard realized that if Salamence connected the battle would be over. He frantically darted out of the way leaving Salamence with no other choice but to strike the ground in which Ash's old number one previously stood.

Salamence shook off his miss and faced the fire dragon with a new found respect. Not very many pokemon had lasted more than a few seconds against him and he admired the fact that Charizard still had enough strength after his dragon claw to dodge.

Charizard, started to realize that he would be in big trouble if this battle dragged on any longer. The large orange dragon reached deep within himself getting ready to unleash his strongest attack. Charizard opened up its powerful jaws and started to conjure up an immense fire ball.

Ash immediately recognized the attack that Charizard was about to use. _Blast burn, impressive Charizard it won't be enough for today's battle but at least I don't have to go through the trouble of teaching it to you myself._

"Salamence stand your ground, and deflect it!" Ash barked to his friend.

Liza: _Is he crazy! That's blast burn the strongest fire type attack. No matter how strong his Salamence is you can't deflect it!_

Charizard released the momentous ball of fire in the direction of Salamence.

Obeying Ash's orders Salamence stood his ground without a moment's hesitation and at the last second shifted his body and whipped the powerful fire attack with its tail sending it in the direction of the lake.

Liza: _I stand corrected… that Salamence is in a whole different league._

Charizard was flabbergasted he hadn't been this outclassed since his battle with Mewtwo's super powered cloned Charizard. Charizard then tried to move but, suddenly realized that he had put too much energy into his previous attack.

"Salamence finish things up with hyper beam attack." Salamence let loose a brilliantly powerful golden beam that struck Charizard directly in the chest.

The fire lizard was hurled across the make shift battle field landing hard on the ground unconscious.

When Charizard woke up the first thing he saw was his former master tending to him with some sort of medicine spray. He then noticed Charla, and Liza standing over him with worried expressions on their faces.

"Don't you worry buddy, when I'm done here you will be as good as new." Ash told his Charizard in a friendly tone.

Charizard let out a few painful grunts from the stinging sensation of the spray potion. But, once he saw that Salamence was observing as well he stopped his barking and looked away in embarrassment.

"Don't be embarrassed Charizard, Salamence doesn't think you're weak. He was actually quite impressed by some of your moves. Just imagine how much stronger you will get after training with him for a few years." Ash told his pokemon in order to comfort him.

Charizard looked into his trainers eyes and for the first time realized how much he had changed. The fire dragon noticed a look of determination that he had never seen before, a look that could only come from the son of Arceus. Charizard finally understood that the only way that he could maximize his strength would be to once again travel with Ash.

After Ash was done treating Charizard the fire dragon raised himself from the ground and turned in the direction of Salamence. The two communicated with multiple grunts and growls.

"What are they discussing Ash?" asked Liza in a curious tone.

"Charizard is asking Salamence if he can become his apprentice." Ash answered with a humongous grin.

"Did Salamence agree?"

Ash smirked "Of course he did Liza, Salamence is always looking for new pupils and although he has helped me train some powerhouses he has never had an apprentice quite as talented as Charizard."

After the two dragon pokemon were done negotiating Ash returned Salamence and turned to speak to charizard. "Well bud it's time to go, we got a lot of training to do."

Charizard stomped over to Liza and gave her a giant lick on the cheek thanking her for being such a great friend. He then made his way over to Charla where the two engaged in a heart- warming goodbye.

Ash couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing in taking Charizard away from his love. But, remembered that they could always visit another time.

After Charizard was done saying his goodbyes he made his way back over to Ash. "Now that you are done saying your goodbyes, what do you say we get out of here and travel the world a bit." Ash told his old friend.

Charizard nodded and lowered his body to the ground allowing his trainer and Pikachu to climb up onto his back. The three then turned around and gave Liza and Charla a final wave goodbye before taking off into the sky.

**End of Flashback:**

After reminiscing Ash returned his pokemon to their pokeballs, Pikachu and Ash then made their way out the zero room, up the never-ending staircase, down the hall, and out the front door.

The two best friends were walking towards Ash's house when they noticed Misty strolling in their direction.

Ash felt his stomach immediately drop. _Crap. This is exactly what I don't need right now. This is going to be awkward._

The two childhood best-friends have been neglecting conversation for almost two weeks now, both struggling to confront the other about Ash's heritage.

As Ash was about to approach Misty he noticed that she was walking with her head down and she seemed to have something on her mind.

"Um.. he-y Mist is something… wrong?" Ash asked in a shaky tone.

Misty looked up and jumped back abruptly noticing him for the first time. "Oh… uhh hey Ash, no nothing's wrong I was just thinking about some stuff."

Ash looked at her with a worried expression. _Yeah, I bet she's thinking about how big of a freak I am._ "Well where are you headed?"

The beautiful redhead answered nervously. "Nowhere specific, I just felt like going on a walk."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Ash asked, sort of understanding that the only way to make things normal again would be to talk.

Misty was flattered that Ash asked to join her, but she needed time to herself. "Maybe another time Ash, I really want to be alone right now."

Ash was a little bit frustrated that Misty rejected his offer. But, saw it as an opportunity to delay the inevitable and think of a good way to approach her about the complicated subject. "Alright Misty, I'll let you be than. Stay safe it's going to get dark soon."

"I will, see you later."

Ash watched Misty as she made her way down the path, until she was out of his view. _I have to take care of this soon, this isn't right._

Ash walked into his house looking down at the ground in deep thought. He was shocked to hear a voice that could only belong to Dawn. "What's wrong Ash?"

Ash looked up to find Dawn sitting on the couch with her pajamas on reading some sort of girly magazine. Ever since their travels together Ash had always thought Dawn was pretty. But, seeing her without make-up on and her hair down for the first time since they were kids really surprised him. She was naturally gorgeous. Ash realized that he should probably stop gawking at her and opened his mouth to speak "Oh, hey Dawn I didn't see you there."

Dawn could tell something was wrong with Ash. She patted the cushion next to her with her palm before she spoke. "Come sit next to me, I can tell you need someone to talk to right now."

Ash wanted nothing more than to continue walking towards the stairs so he could go up to his room. But, figured it would be rude to turn down Dawn's thoughtful offer.

The raven haired 22 year-old made his way over to the couch where he took a seat next to Dawn.

"So what's bothering you Ash?" Dawn asked raising an eyebrow.

Ash wasn't quite sure what to tell Dawn. He didn't want to talk about the tournament that was stressing him out. Ash also wanted to avoid a conversation about his problems with Misty knowing that Dawn would ask questions that he couldn't answer. So he just sat there without saying a word, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation without bringing up either subject.

Dawn sat patiently looking at Ash who held his head down in silence. She figured that if he wanted to talk he would say something eventually, so she just waited never taking her eyes off him for a second. _It must have something to do with Misty….she's so lucky….I wish he cared about me this much…..I would do anything to get Ash to notice me._

Just as Dawn was finishing up her thought Ash picked up his head and looked Dawn in the eyes.

Ash was out of options so he decided that the best way to make it out of the situation was to change the subject. "You know Dawn, why do you where make-up when you're so beautiful without it."

Dawn couldn't believe what she was hearing the guy that she was secretly in love with was telling her that she was beautiful, this was like a dream come true. _Oh my god, what do I say…._

Ash noticed that Dawn's face was starting to turn red. "Are you blushing Dawn?" Ash asked in a curious tone.

Dawn started to try her hardest to put together a sentence that made sense. "Um… maybe a little bit, it's just that was like.. um well it was a really nice thing for you to say."

"Well it's not a big deal it's just the truth, you really are beautiful." Ash said continuing to praise Dawn in hope that she would forget about why he sat down in the first place.

Dawn stared at Ash with a face as red as Charizard's flames. _Oh my, he is too cute should I tell him how I feel about him. No, it's too risky._

"Well Ash, thank you so much for the compliments. You don't look too bad yourself. I'm going to go to bed now I'll see you in the morning." Dawn stood up from the couch and made her way out the living room towards the guest room.

Ash watched his friend leave the room. Once he heard the sound of a door shutting he let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead. _Holy shit that worked, who would have thought that a few compliments could get you out of a tough situation._

**Meanwhile in Dawn and Misty's room:**

"ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !" Dawn squealed into her pillow. _He thinks I'm beautiful, he really thinks I'm beautiful. I might actually have a chance this is unbelievable. _

**To Be Continued…. **


	8. A Promise Fulfilled

**Author Notes: I enjoyed this one and I hope you guys do too. The events in this Chapter are taking place one day after Chapter 7  
**

Ash and Pikachu were bruised and battered. They were lying on the ground facing each other after Pikachu had just gotten done fending off a flock of angry Spearow.

Ash looked up at the sky while replaying what had just happened in his head. _Pikachu saved my life. I thought he hated me but he saved my life. _

The amateur pokemon trainer continued to stare up at the sky, when he saw something that caught his attention. Soaring through the horizon was the most beautiful pokemon he had ever seen.

Ash turned to his pokedex which was lying on the ground to his left. "What's that?" Ash asked Dexter hoping to get some answers.

The voice programmed into the pokedex answered in a robotic tone "There is no data. There are still pokemon yet to be identified."

Ash continued to watch the enormous majestic bird as it aviated through the clouds, disappearing somewhere in the direction of the rainbow that had manifested sometime after the storm ended.

* * *

"Errrr!Errrrr!Errrrr!Errrrr!Errrrrr!" Ash rolled over and smacked his alarm clock in attempt to stop the irritating noise.

The raven haired trainer felt a familiar movement underneath his covers. "Pikachu, it's time to wake up."

The small rodent pokemon crawled over to his friend peeking his head out from beneath the blanket.

Ash raised both of his arms above his head as he cast loose a long tiresome yawn. He then got out of his bed slowly thinking about the dream he had just had. _How odd, that's the first dream I've had in years. Or, was it a dream it seemed more like a reanimation of a memory. It was so vivid, and I felt like I was watching myself the whole time. Whatever, it was just a dream. _

The aspiring pokemon master made his way over to his closet where he grabbed a plain red t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. Ash then walked over to his dresser where he found his black suede vans and his black and white hat with a master ball logo on it.

After finishing up getting dressed Ash waved Pikachu over and the small electric-type scampered to his side. "Let's go buddy, it's time to head over to the zero room to train."

Ash opened his door and headed downstairs. He made his way down the hall and was about to open the front door when he heard her sweet voice call his name. "Where are you going?"

The raven haired trainer's stomach dropped as he turned around to confront the source. _Shit_ "Uhh, good morning Mist. I was just about to head over to Professor Oak's lab."

"What for?" Misty asked raising an eyebrow.

Ash sighed. "I was going to go pick up some of my pokemon so we could train."

Misty had a curious look in her eyes. "About that, Ash I was wondering why is it that when I checked out the fields behind Professor Oak's lab yesterday I didn't see any of your pokemon."

Ash paused for a second before answering. "Ummm… I'm not sure what you are talking about Misty."

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me Ash, I've kind of accepted the fact that you probably have a lot of secrets you don't want to share with the rest of us. But, I do think it's time that we talk about what Golduck told me."

Ash started to break out in a nervous sweat. "Uhhh yeah, you're probably right."

Just as Misty was about to open her mouth to speak, the front door swung open. In walked May along with her little brother Max. "Ash, just the person I wanted to see. It's time you fulfilled your promise that you made to me all those years ago. Let's have a battle!" Shouted the 16 year old boy with jet black hair and glasses.

_Could this situation get any worse _Ash thought to himself as he turned his gaze to the young trainer.

"Max, about that I don't know if now is such a good time Misty and I are in the middle of a very important conversation." Ash said trying to sound as sorry as possible.

Misty a little bit upset by the interruption understood that the conversation was going to have to wait. "Ash a promise is a promise, go battle Max. We will talk about it after."

"Are you sure Misty?" Ash asked, a little bit surprised by Misty's response to Max.

"I'm sure, as long as you promise me that you will come back as soon as you're done."

Ash gave Misty a nod before turning back to Max. _I'd prefer not to show any of my pokemon right now but, I am quite interested to see what kind of trainer Max has become. Plus it gives me some time to think about what I am going to say to Misty. _"Alright Max, if Misty is ok with it then I am."

The young trainer raised a fist in triumph. "I'm going to show you just how strong of a trainer I am Ash!"

Just as Max finished his statement he received a smack in the back of his head from his older sister. "What the hell was that for!?"

May gave Max a stern look. "What did I tell you Max, don't get too cocky. I battled Ash a few weeks ago and he whooped my ass."

Max sighed as he rubbed the back of his head where he was struck. "Ok, ok just don't hit me again."

Ash laughed as he made his way out the door, following the pretty brunette and her younger brother.

Once they were at a reasonable enough distance away from the house the two trainers separated, facing off about ten yards apart.

"Alright Max, show me what you got!" Bellowed the more experienced Ash.

Max sensed an absurd amount of confidence coming from his counterpart; he wasn't buying it. "Ash, in case you didn't know I made the semi's in the hoenn league and was runner up in the silver conference, I don't recall you ever making it that far."

Ash was impressed by Max's accomplishments but wasn't worried in the least bit. "That is Impressive, but I think I can handle you" Ash smirked.

"Quit bickering you two!" May hollered.

Both trainers shut their mouth's not wanting to upset the short tempered coordinator. "Now that you two have quieted down I will explain the rules, this will be a 3 on 3 battle substitutions are allowed. You may begin whenever you are ready."

Max and Ash both started to feel for their pokeball's when they heard a voice call out to them. "What are you guys doing?!"

The two turned around and realized that the voice came from Delia, who was accompanied by Brock, Cilan, Iris and Dawn. The five were carrying multiple bags with various foods in them. Ash assumed that they must have just gotten back from the grocery store.

The raven haired trainer scratched the back of his head. "Hi, guys we were just about to have a pokemon battle."

Delia's face immediately brightened. "A pokemon battle! Oh honey do you mind if we watch, I haven't seen you battle in ages it would be such a delight."

Brock, Cilan, Iris, and Dawn insisted as well, for this was the first time that they have had an opportunity to see Ash in action in over 7 years.

Ash sighed "I don't mind, but shouldn't we take the groceries inside first I'm sure you don't want to hold on to them throughout the entire battle."

* * *

After taking in the groceries Ash and Max resumed their battle stances.

Misty decided that since everyone else was watching she might as well join them. _If Ash uses Golduck Max doesn't have a chance._

The rest of the group just stood off to the side keeping to themselves waiting in anticipation.

Brock: _After seeing all of Ash's pokemon in the zero room, I wonder which ones he will use?_

Cilan: _I remember watching Max battle during the silver conference this will be a tough battle for Ash. _

Iris: _This should be interesting._

Dawn: _Ash is so cute._

Delia: _My little Ashy has grown up so much, look at the determination in his eyes._

"You ready Max!" Ash asked his opponent as he felt for one of his pokeballs.

"I was born ready!" Max reached for one of his pokeballs as well before tossing it out in front of Ash. "Magmar you're up!"

Emerging from the red and white sphere was the spit fire pokemon.

"A Magmar, it looks like it's been raised well." Ash said aloud.

"Well I guess I'll fight fire with fire. Charizard battle time." Erupting from its pokeball was Ash's reliable fire-type.

Charizard looked at its opponent with a scowl before folding his arms and blowing an arrogant cloud of smoke from his nostrils.

Brock: _So Charizard is his choice._

Iris: _What an amazing pokemon, I have never met Ash's Charizard before._

Dawn: _Charizard has sure been eating his vegetables, he's gotten huge._

Misty: _Is that really the same Charizard from all those years ago, I hardly recognize it._

Max's eyes were practically bulging out of his head. _Holy shit, Charizard is enormous, what have I gotten myself into. No I can do this, Magmar can win!_

"You challenged me Max, so you've got the first move" Ash smirked.

Max was starting to get frustrated with Ash's arrogance. "You asked for it, Magmar fire punch!"

The spit fire pokemon dashed towards his opponent getting ready to unload a powerful flaming fist.

"Charizard block it, and then use strength!" Charizard nonchalantly caught Magmar's punch with one claw while using the other to grab it by the tail. Using strength Ash's overgrown fire dragon lifted his fellow fire-type from the ground. Then like something from a professional wrestling match sent him crashing into the hard rocky surface.

"Magmar are you alright!" Max yelled in concern for his friend.

The spit fire pokemon growled out in pain as it slowly got up from the ground.

Iris: _That was unbelievable!_

May: _Max might be in trouble._

Misty: _I don't know what to think._

"Alright Magmar if you can continue use flamethrower!" Max bellowed in the direction of his pokemon. Magmar unleashed a powerful stream of scorching flame in the direction of his opponent

"Eat it." Ash smirked with a confident tone in his voice.

Brock: _Eat it! What the hell is he talking about._

Cilan: _What's his plan?_

Charizard opened his massive jaws and like a vacuum on steroids sucked up the entirety of Magmar's attack. The orange fire lizard than rubbed his belly in satisfaction as he belched out a cloud of smoke.

Max's jaw dropped at what had just occurred. _Are you freaking kidding me! It ate a flamethrower, that Charizard is a monster._

The rest of Ash's friends had a similar look as well. They couldn't believe what they had just seen.

"Alright Charizard now you use flame thrower." Charizard let loose a massive blast of blue fire that hit Magmar directly in the chest instantly knocking it out.

May stared at Max's Magmar with a blank flabbergasted stare before shaking off the shock of Charizard's power. "Magmar is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner!"

Everyone except for Ash was completely shell shocked.

Brock: _What the fuu.._

Dawn: _Well that was fast._

Misty: _That flamethrower was so hot, it was actually blue. I have never seen that before._

Delia: _It's good to know that Charizard is in top shape._

Max returned Magmar to his pokeball with a frown. "Great effort pal." _Well I guess it's safe to say that I shouldn't of underestimated Ash. But he should have a little more trouble with my next pokemon._

Max hurled his second pokeball onto the makeshift battle field "Quagsire, let's make a splash with muddy water!"

Immediately after appearing from its pokeball the water fish pokemon spat out several powerful bursts of dirty water in the direction of Charizard.

"Block with steel wing!" Charizard kneeled to the ground while shielding its entire body with his steel shrouded wing span.

Charizard endured Quagsire's assault without taking any damage. "Now ascend!" The fire-type launched itself into the sky making itself airborne."

"Use water gun until you hit it!" The water/ground-type shot out multiple blasts of water trying to catch charizard in the sky.

"Dodge those blasts and use Dragon Claw!" Charizard descended upon Quagsire while easily dodging its barrage of attacks. He then got close enough to strike and with a ferocious roar unleashed an authoritative glowing slash that knocked Quagsire to the ground.

Charizard flew back over to his trainer where he landed right next to him crossing his arms with a smirk.

"Quagsire get up!" The water fish pokemon tried his hardest to pick himself up from the ground, but it was all in vain as Quagsire abruptly collapsed forming oblivious swirls in its eyes.

"Quagsire is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner!"

Max returned his Quagsire to her pokeball and thanked her for her effort. "You tried you're best, that's all I can ask of you." The confidence that Max had gone into the battle with was starting to fade. _Ash is in a whole different league. May warned me but I didn't think that he would have gotten this much stronger. Even with Charizard at a disadvantage Quagsire never had a chance. All I can do now is hope to at least knock one of his pokemon out._

Meanwhile, all of the others watching continued to be surprised by the strength of Ash's Charizard.

Cilan: _I've heard stories about Ash's Charizard but this surpasses anything any of the others have told me._

Misty: _This is somewhat comical, I don't know if any of my water pokemon could even keep up against Charizard with how powerful it has become._

Iris: _I've just got to battle it one day._

Dawn: _Charizard is almost as strong, as Ash is cute._

Max reached for his third and final pokeball before lofting it into the air. "You may be at a disadvantage but I believe in you, Go Sceptile!"

Emerging from its pokeball was the final evolution of Treeko, the grass-type starter pokemon from Hoenn. It stood about 5 feet tall and looked to probably weigh somewhere around 120 pounds. The gecko pokemon crossed its arms and smirked as it glared into the fire-types eyes.

Ash raised an eyebrow before surprising everyone and returning Charizard. "You did great buddy, I hope you enjoyed yourself."

May:_ Why would he return Charizard with such a clear advantage?_

Brock: _Hmmmm very interesting._

Iris: _What's he planning?_

Dawn: _He's so cool. But, I really don't understand the move at all._

"What are you playing at Ash? It seemed pretty clear to me that Charizard would have had a considerable advantage against my Sceptile. You better not be trying to go easy on me!" Max yelled somewhat annoyed by Ash's decision.

"Don't worry Max, I would never disrespect you like that. I just think that things will be a little more interesting if I use this guy." Ash reached for another pokeball before throwing it in front of Max's Sceptile. "Sceptile I choose you!"

As the flash of bright light faded away Ash's very own Sceptile appeared. Ash's sceptile stood about 2 and half feet taller than Max's, and probably had at least 50 pounds on its less experienced cousin.

Ash's Sceptile looked down and glared into its smaller kin's eyes while chewing on the twig that it had been carrying since it was a Treeko.

Max's Sceptile started to back away a little bit intimidated by its all too familiar opponent. "Don't back down Sceptile you can take it!" Max yelled although feeling a little bit intimidated himself.

Misty: _Arceus… Are all of Ash's pokemon bigger than normal._

May: _I see Ash's sceptile has grown._

Cialn: _A battle between same species. What an exciting flavor._

Ash wasn't about to waste any time. "Sceptile, screech."

Ash's larger green lizard took its twig out of his mouth and handed it to his trainer for safe keeping before opening his mouth letting lose an ear shattering noise that made everyone except for Ash buckle over covering their ears. It also sharply reduced Max's Sceptile's defense.

Brock: _Arghhhh What a terrible noise!_

Dawn: _That is awful._

"Continue the distraction while using Leaf blade!" While Max's Sceptile was buckled over covering its ears it found itself in a ton of pain as it was repetitively being slashed by its opponent.

Max understood that his Sceptile was in trouble and tried his hardest to shake off the terrible noise. "Sceptile counter with your own leaf blade!"

Hearing his master's orders Max's grass-type tried answering his opponent's assault with one of his own. But quickly found that he couldn't keep up with his larger foes speed.

Max realizing that it wasn't working could only think of one way to get out of the situation. "Sceptile get out of there and gain some distance!"

The smaller Sceptile dodged a few of the larger Sceptile's leaf blades before flipping out of the way.

Ash's Sceptile pointed at the smaller lizard with an overconfident smirk on its face clearly trying to taunt his opponent.

Max's Sceptile scowled at its fellow Sceptile obviously upset at being mocked. "Forget about it Sceptile and get in close for a slam attack!"

The forest pokemon sprinted towards its more experienced opponent getting ready to gash it with its tail.

"Use dectect, followed by X-sissor" Ash commanded lazily.

Ash's Sceptile's eyes glowed a bright blue before easily side stepping the smaller Sceptiles slam attack. It than got behind it and brought both of its arms down in a powerful X motion across the grass-types back causing it to shout out in pain.

The bug type attack instantly knocked out Max's Sceptile causing him along with the rest of the group's jaws to drop. _I can't believe I didn't land a single attack on any of his pokemon what a farce._

Iris: _Ash has definitely improved._

May: _Poor Max, I tried to warn him._

Dawn: _I've never been more in love._

Brock: _Wow_

"Max's Sceptile is unable to battle, Ash's Sceptile wins. The winner of this battle is Ash!"

Max returned Sceptile to its pokeball. "Good job buddy, I couldn't have asked for a better effort."

Max then walked over to Ash and his Sceptile and while hanging his head congratulated his opponent. "Good job Ash. I'm an idiot for doubting you I never had a chance."

Ash grinned before roughing up Max's hair. "Keep your head up Max, I'm sure if you keep working hard and caring for your pokemon that one day you'll be able to beat me."

Max looked up at Ash and couldn't help but smile. "You're right I'm just going to keep on training. Will you promise me that we will have a rematch soon."

Ash gave Max a gentle look "Of course bud, and while you're traveling with me I'm sure Sceptile wouldn't mind teaching yours a few things." Ash turned his gaze to Sceptile and his giant green lizard nodded in agreement.

"That would be awesome I can't wait to tell Sceptile!" Max shouted enthusiastically.

All of the others made their way over to Ash, Sceptile and Max. "That was a great battle you two, oh sweety I'm so proud of you!" Delia told Ash while giving him a giant hug."Thanks mom I appreciate it."

"Didn't I tell you that you were way in over your head Max." May said while shaking her head.

"Arceus…. May I already feel pretty bad about how the battle went I don't need you rubbing it in." Max sighed as he replied to his sister.

"Don't worry Max, Ash just has a lot more experience just keep on taking care of your pokemon." Brock told Max trying to comfort him.

Dawn was blushing "Ash your so ho-…I mean awesome." Misty shot Dawn a nasty glare.

Ash looked in the direction of the blunette. "Thanks Dawn, but it was really all Charizard and Sceptile." Sceptile continued to chew his twig in silence while trying not to blush from his trainers praise.

Ash was enjoying all of the attention but couldn't take his eyes off of Misty. _Now that that's over I guess the real challenge of the day is going to take place._

**To Be Continued….**

**Author Notes: **

**How is Misty and Ash's Conversation going to go? I guess you're just going to have to wait until next time to find out.**

**By the way please ****review**** if you read the story. I really appreciate knowing what you guys like and what you don't. The advice really helps.**


	9. A House Full of Animosity

**Author Notes: Ok so this chapter is a little bit shorter than most. But it's packed full of good stuff so you guys should like it.**

Ash was a nervous wreck. _What the hell am I going to say to her? What if she doesn't understand? I mean there is no way to sweep this under the rug, it's a big deal, I know it and she knows it. SHIT! Why did I have Golduck tell her!? I should have thought this through….._

The self-proclaimed aspiring pokemon master was trailing his friends on the way back to the house with Pikachu resting on top of his head. The battle between Max and Ash had unfolded exactly how he thought it would.

But, the real challenge of the day was about to take place and he had no idea what was going to happen. That was the real problem, the sheer fact that he didn't know.

Over the last seven years, Ash rarely was in a predicament in which he was clueless. He spent his time away becoming a competent trainer, strengthening his battle wits and his pokemon. Ash didn't take any time to improve his skills with people and he was starting to regret it.

Delia was standing at the front door of the house waiting patiently for her son. "Ash dear, what are you doing over there? Hurry up and get inside I'm not going to hold the door open forever."

Ash was a little shocked to hear the voice of his mother calling out to him. He was in such deep thought that he didn't even realize that he had trailed behind the rest of the group.

"Sorry Mom, I was just thinking about some things." Ash told his mother while dragging himself through the door.

Delia was a little bit suspicious and wanted to ask her son if something was wrong. _Something is obviously getting to him, I wonder what's causing Ash to mope like this._ The 40 year old woman than remembered that her son was now a man, and most likely wouldn't appreciate his mother butting into his problems._ Oh well, whatever it is I'm sure he will figure it out on his own._

The first thing Ash noticed when he walked through the door was that Dawn, May and Iris were sitting on the couch while Max was bent down on his knees looking for something on the floor. The raven haired trainer assumed that Max was probably searching for the remote to the television. _Arceus… Why is it that no one ever puts the remote back where they found it._

Ash then turned his gaze to the kitchen where he saw that Brock and Cilan were busy putting away all of the groceries that his mom had bought earlier in the day. Ash watched the two for a moment thinking about how much of a relief it must be for his mom to have them around the house.

The 22 year old trainer than heard a door shut somewhere down the hall way. It occurred to him that Misty probably had gone to her room and was waiting for him so that they could talk. _Well as much as I have been dreading this moment, I might as well get it over with._

Ash carefully made his way down the hallway, trying his hardest not to attract the attention of anyone else in the house.

With every step that he took he could feel his legs getting heavier and heavier as if they were trying to remind him just how difficult of a conversation this was going to be.

As he approached the door his heart was pounding. _Why am I so freaking nervous. Pull yourself together Ash you can do this. If I can trust anyone to understand it's her, I shouldn't feel this way._

* * *

Ash gently gave the door two knocks.

He could hear Misty's voice coming from the other side of the door "Who is it?"

"It's Ash…are you ready to talk?"

A few seconds later the door opened and Misty was standing in front of him. "Come in." Misty said in a nervous tone

Ash walked in and shut the door behind him. "So Misty, what's up?

Misty gave Ash a strong stern glare. "What's up!…what's up!….you know exactly what's up Ash."

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ Ash immediately was trying to figure out a way to recover from such a terrible start to their conversation. "I didn't mean it like that, I was simply just trying to break the ice."

"Oh so you were just trying to break the ice! Well Ash… allow me to break it for you! Is it true that your dad is Arceus?"

Ash was a little bit taken back by Misty's forwardness, but pulled himself together in order to answer her question. "Yeah, it's true."

Misty started to sense that all of the feelings she had kept bottled up over the past 2 weeks were about to surface. Subtlety was no longer an option, Misty understood that she was about 2 seconds away from snapping and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

All of Ash's worries were starting to manifest as Misty abruptly broke out into hysterics. "Why is it that after disappearing for so long you have to come back with a secret like that. I mean what the hell. And that's not even what I am upset about! I could honestly care less about where you come from Ash. It doesn't change who you are, what pisses me off is that you didn't tell me yourself! You had your own pokemon break the news to me! You're a coward! At first you ran away without saying a word. Do you have the slightest idea about what I have gone through the past 7 years! I thought you were freaking dead! Than you waltz back into our lives like nothing happened. I accepted it at first, I was just happy that you were back. But, ever since Golduck broke the news to me I couldn't help but wonder what I am to you! You could have at least had the balls to tell me yourself you fucking Ass hole!"

There was an awkward moment of silence in which Misty waited for Ash's response.

Ash just stood there looking at the ground in slight shock by Misty's harsh words. After letting Misty's rant sink in for a moment he started to feel something churning inside him. An unfamiliar sensation that of which he had never felt before, a feeling of complete and utter rage.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You think that you had it tough worrying about me! I left everything I loved behind me! You, my mom, all of my other friends! It was the hardest decision of my life! And shortly after I find out that my father is God and basically my entire life was a lie! You are being a selfish bitch!"

Ash abruptly opened the door and stormed out of the room.

Misty was left alone and scared. _Oh my god what have I done. I ruined everything, he probably hates me._

* * *

Ash frantically made his way down the hall with complete disregard of his surroundings. The raven haired trainer was trapped within a snare of rage, and anger that was unlike anything he had ever felt before. _A coward..! Of all things for her to call me she calls me a coward! This is absurd, what was I thinking I can't trust anyone._

The enraged pokemon trainer found himself in the living room. Everyone else in the house was staring at him wide eyed in disbelief.

"Honey..? What's wrong why do you look so upset?" Delia asked in a gentle tone, trying not to make her son any more angry than he already was.

Ash didn't even register that his mother was speaking to him. He was too busy looking at the catastrophe that he was seeing on the television.

"w...what's going on?" Ash asked to no one in particular.

Dawn shaking off the shock of what she had just seen on the television and Ash's obvious anger, answered in a quiet frightened tone. "Viridian city is being attacked and held hostage by Team Rocket. It's terrible, the city has been thrown into chaos."

_This is just great, could things get any worse! _Ash felt even more fuel being fed to his fire of rage. _Oh well at least I have something to take my anger out on!_

Ash made his way to the front door without saying a word to anyone. He then opened the door with haste completely ignoring the pleas that were coming from his mother and friends.

* * *

He heard the door open behind him and was surprised that of all the voices to call out to him it was Iris's "Ash! Where are you going!?"

"I'm about to destroy every single member of Team Rocket in Viridian city, and don't think for one second that you are going to stop me!" Ash yelled in a furious tone.

Iris was a little taken back by the rage that she felt coming from Ash, but decided to ignore it for now and focus on the problem at hand. She understood that Ash was way beyond mad, and nothing was going to stop him from leaving. "At least let me come with you I can help!"

Ash decided to ignore Iris for the moment and tossed a pokeball out in front of him "Salamence, there is evil that we need to extinguish!"

Emerging from its red and white sphere was Ash's noble and ferocious green and orange dragon. Salamence immediately crouched down on the ground allowing it's trainer to climb on.

Ash, Pikachu, and Salamence took off into the sky leaving Iris standing by herself on the ground in awe.

_Well I have to give him props, what an impressive Salamence. Too bad he won't get away from me that easily._ Iris than unclipped a pokeball from her belt and tossed it onto the ground.

Appearing from her red and white sphere was another dragon pokemon. This one was orange and had a cream colored belly. On top of its head it had two curious antennae and the inside of its wings were turquoise in color.

Iris hopped on Dragonite's back and immediately gave him orders. "Follow that Salamence!" The pseudo legendary pushed itself off the ground leaving a giant cloud of dust. He than started to pick up unmeasurable speed as he frantically tried to catch his fellow dragon.

* * *

Misty was still sitting in her room she hadn't moved an inch. _It's over, It's over, It's over I ruined everything. I'm so selfish I never even considered Ash's feelings._

She was than broken out of her regretful trance with a grueling punch to the face.

"What the hell did you do?! He's gone! Ash just left because of something you said to him. Now he's off trying to take his anger out on Team Rocket! Not those idiots that chased us around while we were traveling, the real crime syndicate Team Rocket!"

Misty was holding her hand to her face where Dawn had punched her, while fretting in shock. "Dawn, I didn't mean to…I messed up big time didn't I?"

Dawn answered Misty with another punch to the face. "You're such a freaking idiot! God damnit he could die out there! What are you doing just sitting around pouting! Help me go get him back!"

Misty knew that Dawn was right but for some reason she couldn't pick herself up from the ground. She didn't know if it was the fact that Dawn had clocked her twice or if it was because she couldn't find the strength to go out and confront Ash.

"Whatever, Misty it's up to you? I know how you feel about Ash because I feel the same way you do. I love him and so do you and if you're not going to get your shit together and help me find him than you obviously don't deserve him."

Misty couldn't help but get angry. "And what makes you think that you deserve him Dawn?!"

Dawn glared at her soon to be rival. "Because I'm the one standing up and you're the one moping on the ground dumbass."

Misty stood up and swung a right hook at Dawn that landed just below her eye. Dawn fell to the ground in surprise, she obviously didn't expect Misty to hit her.

"Who's standing now bitch!" Misty yelled in the direction of Dawn.

Dawn quickly picked herself off the ground and gave Misty a look of hatred. "Alright, you've got yourself a fight."

The two of them rushed at each other completely forgetting about the problem with Ash. They were too busy thinking about different ways to hurt each other.

**To be continued…..**

**Well things got a little bit intense in that chapter. I hope you enjoyed some chaos.**

**Please review if you read and enjoyed the chapter. I would like to hear what you guys thought.**


	10. The Calm Before the Storm

**Author Notes:**

**I kind of just got on a roll. Enjoy the chapter things are about to get crazy.**

* * *

Iris took her cell phone out of her pocket in order to check the time. _2:00 o' clock huh… so I've been following Ash for over 45 minutes now. Dragonite are usually much faster than Salamence. So why is it that I can't catch up to him?_

Iris was starting to worry about her Dragonite, for it was flying at an incredible speed and was starting to get tired.

Dragonite slowly lowered its pace, as it was beginning to feel overwhelmed with exertion.

The aspiring dragon master gave her pokemon a gentle rub on the head as she shouted, trying to be heard over the menacing sound of the wind. "Dragonite are you okay?! If you want to take a quick rest you can. We know where he is headed so I don't mind if you want to land."

Dragonite gave a soft grunt as it started to descend towards an empty clearing about 2 miles north. Dragonite wanted nothing more than to continue but decided to take his trainers offer, understanding that it would probably be beneficial to get some rest.

* * *

Ash was quietly thinking to himself with his eyes closed, as he and Pikachu rode on the back of his prodigious Salamence. _Was I right in reacting that way? I've never lost it like that before. Why did I get so mad at her? Whatever, I'll figure it out later once I have taken care of Team Rocket._

The raven haired trainer than opened his eyes taking in all of his surroundings. _You know when you look at the world from up here it really is quite beautiful. It's hard to believe that my father created all of this. _

Ash then felt a sense of anguish as his thoughts started to take a pessimistic turn. _ It hurts to know that there is so much hatred and evil living down there. I mean I got pretty upset back their but, what could possibly force someone to cause chaos in a city full of innocent people. _

The aspiring pokemon master started to softly stroke the scales on Salamence's back while looking Pikachu in the eyes. "You know guys, sometimes I feel as if the world would be a better place if everyone would just stop for a moment and give themselves a good look in the mirror."

Both Salamence and Pikachu gave Ash a nod in agreement as they replied in their own language. "Pikaa!" "Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!"

Ash gave Pikachu an appreciative smile as he rubbed the back of the tiny rodent's right ear. "Pikachu, what would I do without you?" The raven haired trainer told his furry little friend while, Pikachu squealed in delight.

"Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!" Ash immediately understood what his orange and green dragon was trying to say. "Of course Salamence, I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for you."

Salamence than released a cloud of smoke from his nostrils as he grunted with satisfaction.

Ash couldn't help himself from thinking back to the day that Salamence decided to join him on his journey.

* * *

**Flashback:**

"Gabite, use draco meteor!" Ash's Gabite opened his mouth towards the sun, releasing a powerful burst of bright orange light into the sky. The immense amount of energy than separated in mid-air revealing several bluish orange meteors that spiraled into the ground, leaving multiple large craters.

Ash walked over to his land shark and gave him a nod of approval. "That's enough for today. You were great buddy your Draco meteor is really starting to improve, I'm proud of you."

Gabite responded to Ash's praise by playfully biting the top of his trainer's head. This was a habit that the dragon-type had picked up on when it was still a young Gible.

"Owwww, Gabite that hurts..!" Ash complained to his overly energetic Dragon-type as it continued to crunch down on his head.

Gabite hearing his masters cries let go of his grasp, not wanting to cause any permanent damage.

"Gabite.. you're really going to have to stop doing that when you evolve into a Garchomp. I don't find pleasure in imagining my head disconnected from my body."

Gabite disregarded the part about taking off Ash's head and wagged his tail in excitement. He couldn't help but marvel at the thought of becoming a mighty Garchomp.

Gabite than noticed that Ash was looking up towards the sky. Taking his eyes off his trainer, the dragon pokemon mimicked its friend.

Ash's jaw dropped as he tried to take in the unusual sight. Soaring over the peak of Mt. Silver was an odd colored Salamence.

With the gift that his father had given him, Ash immediately knew that the green and orange dragon was special. Not only was it a different color it also had the king's nature.

The aspiring pokemon master looked down at his Gabite, who had a similar expression on his face. The evolved form of Gible, continued to stare at the Salamence until he felt a hand grasp down on his shoulder.

Gabite looked at his trainer and knew right off the bat what he was going to have to do.

"That Salamence would be quite the addition to the team. You up for a battle Gabite? Ash asked his usually excitable friend.

Gabite, looked at the Salamence and then at Ash before making his decision. The dragon-type gave its trainer a solid nod as he accepted the challenge.

After asking Gabite to battle, Ash reached for one of his pokeball's and tossed it onto the ground. Appearing from the pokeball was his telepathic Golduck. "Golduck, could you please open up a telepathic link, with that Salamence."

Golduck responded with a smirk. "_Thinking about catching it_?"

Ash shook his head frantically. "_Yeah, it has the king's nature. Now could you please do it before it fly's out of range, I've only got one shot at this_."

Golduck raised the skin above its left eye in curiosity. "_It's a different color and it has the king's nature. It must be pokemon royalty_."

Ash gave Golduck a stern look. "_We'll talk about the pokemon royalty thing later, link my mind with the Salamence already!_"

"_Ok, ok I will jeezz…."_ Golduck sighed as he felt for Salamence's mind. After a few moments Golduck had done what his trainer asked of him and connected Ash's mind with the Salamence.

"HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY MIND HUMAN?!" Ash couldn't help but drop to his knees by the sheer vastness of Salamence's consciousness.

Ash struggle to pick himself back up, but after a few seconds he managed to do so. Ash stood up tall and cupped his hands around his mouth.

Without using the telepathic link Ash bellowed towards the shiny Salamence with all of his might. "I challenge you to a battle! You over grown bagon!" Ash added the second part in order to entice it, hoping that his rudeness would up his chances of it wanting to battle him.

The Salamence soon landed directly in front of Ash clearly enraged by the human's attitude. The massive green and orange dragon than brought its head down to Ash's level trying to enforce intimidation.

Ash didn't let Salamence's intimidation bother him. The green and orange dragon was impressed when he realized that his ability wasn't working on the human.

Salamence than gave Ash a closer look trying to feel out what kind of person he was. The pseudo-legendary wasn't picking up anything. "WHY IS IT THAT I CANNOT SENSE YOUR NATURE HUMAN!"

Ash shrugged. "It's there you just can't comprehend it."

"BUT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE IT WOULD MEAN THAT YOU ARE ARCEUS."

The raven haired trainer couldn't help but blush while scratching the back of his head. "No, that would be my dad. I'm his son Ash."

Salamence, staggered back in complete and utter shock. "HOW COULD I MAKE THIS MISTAKE! I AM SORRY SON OF ARCEUS, I HAVE SPOKEN OUT OF TERM. WILL YOU PLEASE FORGIVE ME." Salamence dropped the top half of his body to the ground forcing himself to bow in front of Ash.

Golduck and Gabite started to point and laugh at the humongous dragon. "WHAT ARE YOU MORONS DOING LAUGHING IN FRONT OF GOD'S SON. DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH!"

Ash started to laugh as well before going back into serious mode. "You don't have to address me like that, just think of me as any other trainer. I have called to you in hope that you will battle my Gabite. You can decline if you want, but if you do battle me and lose I want to let you know that I am going to try and catch you."

Salamence thought about it for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE SON OF ARCEUS. IT IS THE LEAST I CAN DO TO REPAY YOU FOR MY FOLLY. BUT, I WILL WARN YOU RIGHT NOW THAT YOU CANNOT WIN, ALTHOUGH THAT IS AN IMPRESSIVE LOOKING GABITE IT CANNOT DEFEAT ME, FOR I AM KING OF THE SALAMENCE!"

Ash smiled at the king's natured Salamence before answering him. "I appreciate it, champ."

"Well why don't we get started than, Gabite you're up!" The land shark pokemon leaped out in front of his trainer taking battle position.

Salamence's body posture immediately changed into a battle stance as it got ready to counter whatever move Ash was about to call out.

"Gabite start things off with sand tomb!" Ash's Gabite initiated a vicious storm of sand by repetitively stomping its right foot on the ground, kicking up dirt.

Salamence was relatively unfazed and answered Gabite's attack with one of its own. The green and orange dragon burst towards Gabite at a tremendous speed in attempt to land a powerful dragon claw.

"Gabite use dig to escape!" The pre-evolved form of Garchomp was frantically clawing at the ground trying it's hardest to avoid the attack. Gabite managed to do so and escaped without taking any damage.

Salamence, instinctively understood that Gabite could turn up anywhere and decided to take flight making sure that there was no way that Gabite could take him by surprise.

"Resurface!" Registering Ash's order Gabite dug its way into the open, settling down directly in front of his trainer.

The very moment Salamence saw that Gabite was once again above ground he started to descend towards his fellow dragon-type.

Ash hesitated for a moment trying to comprehend what attack Salamence was trying to use. It didn't take long for him to notice the immense amount of energy that Salamence was beginning to building up within its massive jaws.

"He's going to use Hyper beam Gabite. Shield yourself with protect!" Gabite covered itself in a shroud of green energy instantly negating his foes colossal display of strength.

Ash and Gabite were taken off guard though, as the hyper beam was soon followed by a hydro pump. The water attack did critical damage to Gabite, as it sent him hurling across the rocky surface.

"Gabite!" Ash ran in the direction of his friend obviously worried about Gabite's health. Salamence soon landed in belief that the battle was now over.

Ash bent down over Gabite, thinking that he must have been knocked unconscious. The aspiring pokemon master than unclipped Gabite's pokeball and began to thank him for a good effort.

The raven haired trainer was taken back with surprise when Gabite smacked it's pokeball out of its trainers hand. Gabite slowly picked itself up from the ground and while panting heavily cried out to its opponent "Biiiiiiiiiiiiitteee!"

Ash was even more surprised when Gabite was engulfed in a flash of bright white light. The pokemon trainer looked at the scene in awe as he witnessed his Gabite evolve into an almighty Garchomp.

"Awesome Garchomp, you ready for round 2?" Ash's newly evolved Garchomp nodded to its trainer, eagerly anticipating the conclusion of the battle.

Both Garchomp and Ash were than interrupted by Salamence. "ENOUGH! CONTINUING THIS BATTLE IS FUTILE. I WILL NOT BATTLE THIS GARCHOMP ANY LONGER!"

"What?! you cannot be serious, Gabite just evolved into Garchomp this battle is far from over!"

"Garrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

"I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU PROBABLY THINK YOU HAVE A CHANCE NOW, BUT YOU DON'T! I HAVE DEFEATED COUNTLESS GARCHOMP IN BATTLE AND ALTHOUGH THIS ONE HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL, IT LACKS EXPERIENCE."

Ash shook his head in protest, clearly not satisfied. "But, this wasn't part of the deal! You agreed to the battle so you are obligated to finish it!"

Salamence grunted while releasing a cloud of smoke from its nostrils. "THAT IS IRRELEVENT! I HAVE ALREADY DECIDED THAT I WILL COME ALONG WITH YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY. YOU ARE A GREAT TRAINER ASH SON OF ARCEUS. YOU CARE FOR YOUR POKEMON AND PUSH THEM TO REACH THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL. THE MOMENT GARCHOMP EVOLVED, IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THAT I WAS MEANT TO GO WITH YOU. GARCHOMP EVOLVED, NOT FROM EXPERIENCE BUT BY SHEER DETERMINATION TO WIN THIS BATTLE FOR YOU! WE MET HERE NOT BY CHANCE, BUT BY FATE. I KING OF THE SALAMENCE WILL BECOME YOUR POKEMON, AND WILL AID YOU IN WHATEVER WAY POSSIBLE."

Ash couldn't believe it. "Do you really mean that Salamence?"

Salamence nodded and flew over to his soon to be trainer's side. "NOW, THAT I HAVE DECIDED TO COME ALONG WITH YOU SHOULDN'T YOU CATCH ME?"

Ash couldn't help but smile as he took an empty pokeball from his back pack. He then pressed it's button on Salamence's side. The orange and green dragon was enveloped within a flash of red light, that signified a sign of things to come. The pokeball didn't even roll once as it was transported back to Professor Oak's lab in pallet town.

* * *

**End of Flashback:**

Brock had walked into the guest room after hearing what could only be the sound of glass shattering.

"Dawn, Misty! That's enough!" Brock roared at the two female trainers.

They were both covered in blood as the fight had gotten out of hand. "This is none of your business brock!" Misty yelled at the squinty eyed former gym leader.

"Stay out of the way!" Dawn screamed while connecting her fist into Misty's gut.

Misty started to stagger back but, shrugged off the punch and answered Dawn by taking her to the ground.

Brock left the room in a sprint, in order to gather reinforcements. Brock came back to the guest room with Cilan and May. "Girls! Quit acting like selfish bitch's!" May yelled out trying to get their attention.

It seemed to work as Dawn and Misty immediately turned their gaze to May. "What the hell's you're problem May don't tell me you want Ash now too?" Misty asked in a menacing tone.

May couldn't believe what she was hearing. "The only thing I want is to go help out my friend. But, I can't do that with you two trying to kill each other in this room!"

Dawn and Misty started to calm down a little bit after being taken back by May's words.

Cilan, than decided to speak up while being completely appalled by what he had just seen. "Do you guys even realize that Ash, and Iris are currently on their way to viridian city to fight off team rocket. While you two are fighting like children, our friends could be getting killed!"

Dawn and Misty continued to glare at each other, but understood that helping Ash was way more important. Both of them let their guard down and let out a regretful sigh.

"Let's go get him." Misty commented to no one in particular as the group made their way outside of the guest room.

* * *

Ash was still sitting on the back of Salamence with Pikachu by his side. The three followed the smoke that was rising towards the east.

Once the city was in sight Ash stared wide eyed in horror. _This is far worse than I imagined._

* * *

"Zekrom and Reshiram! I am sending you two to Viridian City in the Kanto region, my son is going to need your help!"

The two legendary dragons nodded before taking off through the sky in the direction of Ash.

**To Be Continued….**

**So although I don't believe that Salamence's flashback was quite as good as Charizard's I still enjoyed writing it.**

**Where is Iris?**

**Arceus is getting involved it must be a big issue.**

**Please Review...  
**


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